


Star Wars and You: Return of the Jedi

by MedieavalBeabe



Series: Star Wars and You [3]
Category: Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Awkwardness, Concern, Fighting, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Gen, Holding Hands, Hugs, Kissing, Love, Space Battles, Tenderness, Touching
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-28
Packaged: 2018-10-25 01:54:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 20,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10754301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MedieavalBeabe/pseuds/MedieavalBeabe
Summary: You and Luke are determined to help bring down the Empire and end this war once and for all, after rescuing your friend Han Solo from the clutches of the evil Jabba the Hut, but it’s not going to be an easy ride. With the revelation that Darth Vader might possibly be your best friend’s father hanging over both your heads, you need to learn to keep your emotions in check in order to come through your greatest battle yet in one piece, but with danger and temptation at every turn, and Luke beginning to realise his feelings for you might not be just platonic after all, who can say what will happen when you finally face the Emperor?





	1. Back to Tattooine

In the four years that you and your best friend Luke Skywalker have been part of the Rebel Alliance, battling against the Empire that has taken over the entire galaxy, the thought that you would one day return to your home planet of Tattooine has never actually crossed your mind, or at least it hadn’t until about a year ago when your friend Han Solo was captured by a bounty hunter and delivered into the clutches of the evil Jabba the Hut, a resident on Tattooine.

 

You say as much to Luke as you check the message you and Luke recorded earlier in R2D2’s database, to be delivered straight to Jabba the Hut the second they get to his lair. Your favourite little blue and white droid is extremely eager to start a new mission as he beeps and whistles in excitement and you can’t help smiling at him.

 

“You know what to do, R2,” you murmur, glancing over to where Luke is talking to C3PO. R2D2 bleeps in the affirmative and you pat the top of his head. “Don’t tell C3PO about the gift bit yet, though, otherwise he’ll refuse to go with you. And we need you both there.”

 

R2D2 makes a rocking motion that looks like a nod as Luke comes up behind you. He taps R2D2’s head, fondly. “Ready, R2?”

 

The droid whistles again as C3PO turns and beckons him. “Come on, R2.”

 

With a whistled that sounds like a cheerful farewell, R2D2 follows his counterpart out of the room. You get to your feet and move over to the nearby computer to relay your research to Luke. After all, you have to execute a plan to break into Jabba’s lair, rescue Han and get out again, all without letting anyone get killed, so you’re going over this from every angle, making sure all your bases are covered for any eventuality.

 

“Right, so first off,” you say, showing him what you’ve found, “you don’t need to worry about Leia if she gets exposed as one of our lot. According to everything I’ve found, Jabba has a penchant for collecting beautiful young women and making them his slaves, at least until he gets fed up with them and has them killed off, but she’ll be safe for the time being if that happens.”

 

“Got it,” Luke replies, nodding. “What else?”

 

“Well, according to Lando’s reports,” you reply, showing them to him, “anyone who displeases Jabba or who he just gets plain fed up with gets dropped into a pit with a carnivorous monster called a Rancor.” You grimace as you go over Lando’s description of the beast again. “Not the most pleasant or fair way to die. From what Lando’s seen so far, no one ever survives, but then again-”

 

“Jabba’s never thrown a Jedi down there before,” Luke finishes.

 

“Exactly, we’d stand a better chance of surviving against it than most,” you agree. “But if we’re lucky, Jabba will take us out to feed us to the Sarlacc instead.”

 

“How is that lucky?” Luke asks, raising an eyebrow at you.

 

 _“Because,”_ you say, rolling your eyes as if you’re talking to someone incredibly thick, “it won’t be a one on one direct combat with a monster with no way out. The Sarlacc lives in a pit by itself, and feeding us to it involves a small ship taking us out into the desert where it lives to literally drop us into its mouth from a small plank-”

 

“Which anyone with Jedi training could use to their advantage,” Luke realises.

 

“Exactly,” you nod. “Plus, there’ll be less people to fight off. There’ll be a few guards on the prison ship and on Jabba’s he’ll only have his closest confidants and servants, and if we’re lucky he’ll have 3PO and R2 on there with him too. Hopefully they can keep him busy until we can get aboard.”

 

Luke nods. “You’ve thought of everything, _(Y/N).”_

 

He pats your shoulder, with his left hand, you notice. For some reason, ever since he lost his hand last year in a battle with Darth Vader and had it fitted with a prosthetic one, he’s been odd about touching you with it. You first noticed it when you were aboard the Rebel cruiser you left not too long ago and R2D2 was trying to fix one of the computers when something happened to make it explode in a shower of sparks. Automatically, as you’ve always done whenever in a scary or uncomfortable situation, you grabbed Luke’s sleeve, the closest you usually go to grabbing his hand without actually doing so, and he didn’t brush you off but you felt him tense up when you did, like he was wishing you hadn’t. After that, you began to notice more and more that if Luke needed to get your attention or pat you on the shoulder or even just give you a playful push, he always uses his left hand, the real one, not the prosthetic. Even when he hugs you now, it’s with one arm, not both like before. It baffles you as to why, since he has no qualms about touching anyone else with it, only you.

 

You resolve to ask him about that some time in the near future.

 

“We’re all set,” you agree. “Now we just have to wait until we get Lando’s signal.”

 

The pair of you settle yourselves into chairs and lose yourselves in your respective thoughts. Lando had joined your group a year ago, after Han had been captured. You had been a bit uncertain about him at first, in spite of him helping you and Luke get out of Cloud City just when you’d thought you were both about to die and once you’d recovered, you’d questioned Leia about him and she had given you the full story. After escaping the Rebel Base on Hoth, she, Han, Chewbacca and C3PO had been chased by the Imperials until they had, based on Han’s reasoning, decided to go to Cloud City and ask Lando, an old friend of Han’s and, you later discovered from Chewbacca, the original owner of the Millennium Falcon until Han won her from him in a card game, for help. Lando had sheltered them but it soon transpired that he had been contacted by Darth Vader and his Troopers not long before Han and the others arrived and he had been forced to hand his old friend over to them in a bid for Darth Vader to trap you and Luke using your friends as bait. Once that plan had failed, Lando, who genuinely regretted his actions and wanted to make amends somehow, had helped Leia, Chewbacca and C3PO (and also R2D2) escape Cloud City and helped you and Luke, both injured, onto the Falcon so you could get to the Rebel cruiser. Now you were certain he was on your side and he had your complete trust.

 

You suddenly laugh as you remember something. Luke glances at you in surprise. “What?”

 

“Just remembering that the last time we were here was when we met Han and Chewie for the first time,” you smile, thinking back on the memory of nineteen year old Luke claiming he could probably fly the Millennium Falcon better than Han. That was back when they had argued a lot, before they had really become friends. You brush the arm of your chair, thinking on what a good team they make when they’re together, even though the roguish space-pirate Han Solo and the former-farm-boy-turned-Jedi Luke Skywalker might seem like an unlikely partnership at first. “That was four years ago,” you add, sadly, glancing out of your window and into the sandy dunes of Tattooine beyond. “Can you believe it?”

 

“I honestly never thought we’d be here,” Luke admits. “On the verge of being Jedi.”

 

“I hope Yoda doesn’t think we’re giving up,” you say, glancing at him.

 

“He won’t,” Luke insists. “We made a promise; he should know that we’re going to keep it.”

 

You nod, thoughtfully. That’s one of the reasons you’re determined to come out of this next adventure alive, so that you and Luke can return to the Degobah System and complete your Jedi training with the wise, and sometimes annoying, Master Yoda. Then, Luke touches your hand and you look up at him in surprise. He’s using his left hand again, but you barely notice it this time, too surprised by the fact he’s touched your hand at all. Usually, it’s you who does that with him when one of you needs comforting. Alright, so he’s grabbed your hand before, but that’s usually just to drag you out of harm’s way, he’s a very protective friend when it comes to you.

 

“Hey, we’re going to be fine,” Luke says, gently, looking into your eyes.

 

Your heart skips a beat as you try not to blush. Ever since you and Luke had been six years old, you had always been the best of friends, close friends, always having each other’s backs, and Luke always called the pair of you “a team.” You had just lost your Grandfather and moved into Luke’s home with his Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen (now also deceased) when you had realised you were in love with him, but you had always assumed that he didn’t feel the same way.

 

Yet sometimes you found yourself wondering, hoping even, that he might. After all, he had always hated looking like a fool in front of you, hated it whenever he fell head over heels in front of you, always resented Han calling him “kid” in front of you, especially that first time you had met him, but then that could just be because you’ve known him a long time.

 

Pulling yourself together, you nod and glance away, pretending to be checking the computer screen again. “Yeah, I know.”

 

You swear that Luke squeezes your hand slightly before letting go and getting to his feet. “Just going to check the ships,” he says. You glance at him as he turns away, and note that he seems to be slightly disappointed by something. For the life of you, though, you can’t work out what. Shaking it off, you read through the reports from Lando again, just to check that you haven’t missed anything. Your plan seems watertight, however, incapable of failing, well, it’s half your plan and half Luke’s, so you’re certain it can’t fail. After all, it’s half careful planning on your part and half instinct and skill on Luke’s, so you can’t see how it could.

 

Waiting for a signal from Lando is more boring than watching the slowest speeder race in the galaxy, and it quickly puts you to sleep, but you’re jolted from your slumbering by a soft beeping from your comlink. You quickly scrabble forwards, almost falling out of your seat in the process, and snatch it up from the desk. “Lando?” you whisper, hoping any static will muffle you giving away who it is you’re really talking to.

 

“We’ll be good to go soon, _(Y/N),”_ Lando mutters into his own comlink. “The Bounty Hunter just delivered a Wookiee.”

 

You nod, understanding this to mean that Leia and Chewbacca have successfully entered Jabba’s lair. “Keep us updated,” you say, before casting out with the Force, closing your eyes and trying to see into the future. The last time you did this, you weren’t even trying, it just happened, a year ago back on Degobah when you saw visions of Han, Leia and Chewbacca being tortured in order to lure you and Luke to Cloud City. This time, though, you concentrate fully, feeling the Force flowing through you and suddenly you see Leia sitting at Jabba’s side (you know what Jabba must look like from Lando’s descriptions in his reports to you) dressed very scantily with a chain around her neck. You sigh before nodding, getting to your feet and making your way out to where Luke’s still with the ship.

 

“Lando called in, everything’s going alright so far,” you tell him, “but Leia’s going to get caught, I saw it.”

 

Luke nods, gravely. “Is she okay?”

 

“From what I could see, but we’re going to have to get over there as quickly as possible,” you reply. “It looked like early morning, so it’s probably going to happen tonight.”

 

The thought of going into Jabba’s lair so soon makes you shudder, causing Luke to joke feebly “Well, hopefully his guards are weak-minded enough to succumb to mind-control.”

 

You manage a laugh, remembering Obi Wan telling the pair of you that four years ago on this very planet. _The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded. You will find it a powerful ally._ You think back on that day, when you first walked into that cantina, awed and a little bit scared by all the creatures inside that were both fascinating and intimidating. That barman had been so unfriendly it was a wonder he had actually served the two of you at all...oh, and then there had been those two drunks who had wanted to pick a fight but been stopped by Obi Wan...

 

You glance at Luke as you realise something. “I never said thank you, did I?”

 

Luke blinks, your train of thought completely lost on him. “For what?”

 

“For defending me that day,” you explain. “You know, with those two who didn’t like us. I mean, if you hadn’t stepped in front of me, it would have been me that got thrown into that table instead of you.” You smile. “Thanks for that.”

 

Luke smiles back. “Yeah, well, you asked me to help, so...”

 

“I squeaked it, didn’t I?” you laugh, before imitating yourself. _“Help!”_

 

“No, it was more like _“Help!”_ Luke corrects you, making an even higher noise than you.

 

“I do not sound like that!” you laugh, indignantly, swatting at him.

 

“You do when you’re scared,” Luke teases.

 

It doesn’t take long, as you predicted, for Lando’s report that Leia has unfrozen Han, who’s still alive, much to the relief of both of you, but suffering from sickness and temporary blindness, and they’ve both been found out by Jabba. You spend a restless night asleep before rising at the first sign of dawn and picking up your long brown cloak, similar to the one Obi Wan used to wear. Putting it on actually makes you feel like a Jedi, even though you haven’t got your lightsaber with you. Luke doesn’t have his either, neither the one that used to belong to his father or the one that you helped him construct when the old one got lost at Cloud City. But this is all part of the plan, to go in unarmed and make Jabba think he’s winning...before you finally attack and defeat him once and for all.

 

Luke steps out beside you, also cloaked, as you both face the Tattooine desert plains before you. They’re so familiar, yet you’ve never actually ventured over this way before, knowing better in your childhood than to risk going to where the gangsters hang out, and then as an adult having too much common sense to go looking for trouble. You glance upwards, shielding your eyes from the glares of the two suns before lowering them to the palace in the distance. It looks plain and uninviting, like so many places you’re used to on this planet.

 

“I hope this is the last time we ever set foot here,” you murmur, lowering your hand.

 

“It will be,” Luke promises. “Come on.”

 

Stepping forwards through the sand, you wonder what Jabba made of the message you two recorded earlier and gave to R2D2. You remember it word for word as you move closer to Jabba’s lair, playing it over and over in your mind like a mantra.

 

_“Ready?” Luke asked you._

_“Almost,” you replied, setting up R2D2’s recording system before standing to join him a little way away from the droid._

_“Greetings, Exalted One,” Luke began. “Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Luke Skywalker, and this is (Y/N) (Y/L/N), Jedi Knights-”_

_“And friends to Captain Solo,” you added._

_“We know that you are powerful, mighty Jabba, and that your anger with Solo must be equally powerful,” Luke went on. “We seek an audience with your greatness to bargain for Solo’s life. With your wisdom, I’m sure we can work out an arrangement that will be mutually beneficial and enable us to prevent any unpleasant confrontation.”_

_“And as a token of our goodwill, we present to you a gift,” you added. “These two droids. Both are hardworking and will serve you well.”_

_R2D2 stopped the recording and you went over to save it, before glancing up at Luke. “What do you think, will he buy it?”_

_“Maybe,” Luke replied, before adding with a grin, “Make sure no one says anything to 3PO about what’s on there, though.”_

You approach the doors of the palace, which are heavily guarded, but a simple wave of the hand from both of you has both guards lowering their weapons and falling to the ground, unconscious. You smile, as Luke was right after all. Years ago you would have been unconfident in your abilities with the Force, but since training with Yoda, you had learned to trust in yourself and were able to make the Force respond to your commands, like a true Jedi.

 

A bipedal creature approaches as you make your way into the corridor beyond the front doors. _This must be Bib Fortuna,_ you note, recognising the description from Lando’s reports. Good old Lando, telling you what the important people in Jabba’s lair looked like so you wouldn’t have to be taken by surprise, he had thought of everything. His appearance is kind of repulsive, but you’re beginning to get used to that. After all, this is Tattooine, you know this planet, so you couldn’t really expect anything less. He speaks to you in his own language, but luckily you can understand that he’s telling you and Luke that you have no business here with Jabba the Hut.

 

You beg to differ.

 

“We must speak with Jabba,” you say, firmly.

 

Bib shakes his head and answers in the negative.

 

“You will take us to Jabba now,” Luke replies, using the Mind-Control trick again.

 

Bib immediately falls for it, answering in his own language that he will take you to Jabba now. Glancing over his shoulder, you spy Leia, dressed as you saw her in your vision, chained to large blubbering mass that has to be Jabba. You make what you hope is a reassuring gesture in her direction as Bib Fortuna leads you towards the main room where Jabba and his cronies are sitting, or sleeping.

 

“You serve your Master well,” Luke says.

 

Bib repeats the statement in his own language as you step into the room.

 

“And you will be rewarded,” you add.

 

“At last!” comes the excited voice of C3PO. “Master Luke and Mistress _(Y/N)_ have come to rescue me!”

 

You stifle a giggle as Bib goes to Jabba and mutters to him, waking up the great slumbering slug-like creature before introducing the two of you as Jedi Knights. Jabba argues back in his own language that he told Bib not to admit the pair of you, and sounds very angry that he has.

 

“We must be allowed to speak,” Luke insists, drawing off his hood. You flick back yours too and don’t miss the way several creatures stare at you in awe. Even Jabba’s eyes widen but you just throw him a look of contempt, letting him know you’re sickened by him.

 

Bib repeats the message in Huttese to Jabba, but Jabba shouts out that you’re just using old Jedi mind-tricks on a weak minded fool like him and shoves Bib away.

 

“You will bring Captain Solo and the Wookiee to us, Jabba,” you say, calmly and with confidence.

 

Jabba, however, merely chuckles. “Your mind-powers will not work on me, girl,” he says in Huttese.

 

You shrug. “It’s up to you but one way or another we’re taking Captain Solo and our friends. You can either profit by this choice...or be destroyed.”

 

“It’s your choice,” Luke agrees, “but we warn you not to underestimate our powers.”

 

Jabba gives a mean laugh as Luke steps forward. You stay where you are, wondering why Jabba doesn’t feel in the least bit intimidated by your threats...and then C3PO pipes up “Oh, Master! You’re standing on-!” before Jabba cuts across him.

 

“There will be no bargain, young Jedi,” he says in Huttese. “I shall enjoy watching you both die!”

 

You realise what’s about to happen, and suddenly it does all too quickly, as Luke uses the Force to grab a blaster from one of the guards, the guard in question runs at him for it and Jabba commands for the trapdoor they’re both standing on to be opened.

 

“Luke!” you yelp as they both fall into the Rancor pit below. Leia starts forwards but a guard stops her and you look up to see that it’s Lando behind the mask before another couple of guards grab you from behind and pin your arms to your sides. You yelp. “Hey! I’m unarmed!” as they shove you roughly to Jabba’s side and Jabba’s platform moves forwards to overlook the pit as a crowd gathers above it. You stare down beyond the grating to see Luke calmly looking for a way out as the guard panics, screaming and trying to climb back up the walls.

 

“Oh, no, the Rancor!” C3PO exclaims, raising his arms in fear.

 

Even though you and Luke have prepared for this moment, knowing that it shouldn’t be too difficult to fight this thing, even without a lightsaber, you still feel a surge of worry as the Rancor enters the pit. The guard tries again to climb up the side of the pit, but the Rancor is on him quicker than you and Luke shooting Wamp-rats here on Tattooine years ago. You grimace and turn away as it swallows the guard whole, causing cheers to erupt from everyone around you except Leia, Lando, C3PO and yourself. Luke backs up as it turns to him next and you feel your throat close up as your heart begins to hammer inside your chest.

 

 _Be alright, Luke,_ you beg, silently. _Come through this._


	2. Jedi to the Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Luke are determined to help bring down the Empire and end this war once and for all, after rescuing your friend Han Solo from the clutches of the evil Jabba the Hut, but it’s not going to be an easy ride. With the revelation that Darth Vader might possibly be your best friend’s father hanging over both your heads, you need to learn to keep your emotions in check in order to come through your greatest battle yet in one piece, but with danger and temptation at every turn, and Luke beginning to realise his feelings for you might not be just platonic after all, who can say what will happen when you finally face the Emperor?

Below you in the pit, Luke remembers what Yoda taught the pair of you about not letting your emotions get in the way. Yes, he could use the Force, but the pair of you are holding off anything amazing until Jabba and his cronies least expect it, so the only weapons he has now are his wits and whatever’s in the pit with him.

 

Beside the Rancor, that is.

 

Picking up a bone from the floor long enough to use like a blade, he wields it as the Rancor stomps towards him. The creature grabs him and you let out a squeak of terror – _oh, great, Luke was right, I_ do _sound like that!_ – as it prepares to devour him but at the last second Luke wedges the bone into its mouth and is dropped. He rolls out of the way of some falling rocks the creature sending tumbling down as it flails in annoyance before crunching the bone to bits and searching around for Luke again. Luke instantly squeezes himself into a crevice below the wall but the Rancor soon spots him and reaches for him. Using a rock, Luke slams down hard on its fingers, causing it to pull away in pain, howling, as Luke scrabbles away, running to the holding cave. You breathe out as he opens the door but there’s a gate between him and safety, and guards standing on the other side of that gate. Searching around desperately for something that can help him, you spot a skull lying on the cave floor not far from him.

 

 _“Luke!”_ you reach out with the Force, like you did once with Leia, willing him to hear you. _“Use the skull!”_

 

Hearing you, Luke dives for it as the Rancor comes at him, its head already beneath the top of the doorway as it has to duck to fit inside. He flings the skull at the control panel, causing the door to come slamming down on the Rancor’s head and you breathe out in relief as lands flat on its front and doesn’t move, stone dead.

 

Jabba’s laughter fades as he realises what’s just happened. You, Leia and Lando exchange a look of joy but it’s short-lived as Jabba demands that Solo and the Wookiee be brought at once and that you’re all going to suffer for this outrage. He then turns to the guards holding you and snaps in Huttese “Dress her properly and chain her up!”

 

You yelp as you’re dragged away from the pit because you have a fairly good idea of what Jabba has in mind for you. “Get off me! Get off!”

 

Luke hears your yelps and shouts _“(Y/N)!”_ before you hear his voice in your head, soothing you. “It’ll be alright.”

 

You try and relax yourself as you’re shoved into a room where a strange looking female alien servant shoves an outfit like the one Leia’s now wearing into your arms. “You can’t be serious!” you groan. The woman makes an annoyed sound at you and flaps her hands at the outfit, clearly instructing you to wear it. “Alright, alright,” you sigh, shedding your usual clothes and changing into the purple and bronze bra-top and skirt with slits all the way up both sides that makes you feel completely exposed. Hearing the sounds of someone being pushed past your room, you think quickly and stare out your companion. “You will leave this room and tell those guards passing that they’re needed in the cells, where you’ll wait for five minutes before coming back.”

 

The woman repeats what you told her in her own language and makes her way out of the rom. You hear her talking to the guards outside and they argue, disgruntled, but you mutter “You will go with her to the cells and wait there,” and they grudgingly leave. You step out of the room and note that they haven’t got around to shackling Luke yet.

 

“Nicely done,” he grins before realising what you’re wearing.

 

You fold your arms over your chest. “Hey, I thought better of you than that!”

 

“Sorry!” Luke quickly snaps his eyes back to yours. “Looks like you’ll be on Jabba’s barge.”

 

“Yeah, but hopefully I can still get my lightsaber from R2, so I won’t be completely alone,” you reply. Luke’s still looking at you like he’s checking you out in that outfit and you hit his shoulder to get his attention. “Eyes in your head, Skywalker!”

 

“I’m sorry, but how can you expect me not to stare when you’re dressed like that?” Luke asks.

 

“Learn not to, otherwise it’s going to be a very short-lived battle later if you’re going to be distracted!” you hiss.

 

Two new guards come up and notice you and Luke standing and talking freely. They grunt, immediately run forwards and shackle Luke as another come up to you and slaps a heavy iron collar around your neck, like the one Leia’s wearing now. Luke shoots you a reassuring look as he’s dragged away and you manage a half-smile back before being tugged up to where Jabba’s waiting and being handed over to him like Leia. She gives you an instant hug, murmuring “Are you alright?” as she does so.

 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you murmur back, meeting Lando’s eyes not far behind you. He nods, slightly, showing you he’s fully prepared to execute the plan at the right moment. You nod back as Luke, Han and Chewbacca are all dragged into the room. You listen to their greetings to one another, noting that Han looks terrible, but then so would you, probably, if you’d spent the last year in cryogenically frozen carbonite.

 

“How are we doing?” Han asks.

 

“Same as always,” Luke replies.

 

“That bad, huh? Where’s Leia?”

 

“I’m here,” Leia calls.

 

“And me,” you add, hoping to reassure him that with the whole gang together again, nothing can go wrong.

 

Jabba immediately launches into a description of what he has planned for your friends and you grimace as C3PO translates for everyone. “Oh, dear. His High Exaltedness, the great Jabba the Hut, has decreed that you are to be terminated immediately.”

 

“Good, I hate long waits,” Han mutters, sarcastically.

 

“You will therefore be taken to the Dune Sea,” C3PO goes on, “and cast into the Pit of Carkoon, the nesting-place of the all-powerful Sarlacc.”

 

 _Knew it,_ you think as Han says to Luke “Doesn’t sound so bad.”

 

“In his belly, you will find a new definition of pain and suffering as you are slowly digested over a thousand years,” C3PO finishes.

 

“On second thoughts, let’s pass on that,” Han replies.

 

“You should have bargained, Jabba,” Luke says, trying not to smile. Jabba laughs as he orders them to be led away. “That’s the last mistake you’ll ever make,” Luke calls as the guards drag him, Han and Chewbacca to the small ship that’ll take them to Carkoon.

 

You and Leia are led by Jabba and Bib Fortuna to his barge, a much larger ship, but as predicted, not large enough to fit every one of his cronies on, so they should be fairly easy to defeat. Plus, much to your relief, C3PO and R2D2 have also been taken aboard, which will make the battle even more easy for you. You and Leia sit closer to the windows, watching the small ship that’s carrying Luke, Han, Chewbacca and Lando to the pit, when suddenly you’re both tugged back closer to Jabba, much to the disgust of both of you.

 

“Soon you will learn to appreciate me,” he says in Huttese as you both squirm in discomfort.

 

“I highly doubt that,” you hiss, rebelliously, before yanking yourself free of his grip and moving as close to the small stairwell leading up to the top deck as your chain will allow you. Jabba just chuckles at your feistiness. Not far from you, C3PO bumps into someone and immediately apologises before realising who it is.

 

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry-R2! What are you doing here?” R2D2 bleeps a response. “Well, I can see you’re serving drinks! But this place is dangerous. They’re going to execute Master Luke, and if we’re not careful, us too.” R2D2 bleeps again. “Hm, I wish I had _your_ confidence.”

 

When no one’s looking, you summon R2D2 closer to you and mutter to him to get in position as the ship finally reaches the pit. From your vantage point, you can still see Luke, Han, Chewbacca and Lando on their small ship, and just about see the teeth of the Sarlacc edging the mouth of the pit. A guard releases Luke and pushes him towards the small plank hovering over the pit, and you pray that he doesn’t lose his balance. Jabba causes everyone on the barge to fall silent before relaying a message for C3PO to translate.

 

“Victims of the Almighty Sarlacc, His Excellency hopes that you will die honourably. But should any of you wish to beg for your mercy, the great Jabba the Hut will now hear your pleas.”

 

You look up to see R2D2 getting into position and cross your fingers for luck.

 

“3PO, you tell that slimy piece of worm-ridden filth he’ll get no such pleasure from us!” Han snaps and Chewbacca growls in agreement. “Right?”

 

“Jabba, this is your last chance,” Luke calls. “Free us, or die!”

 

Jabba and his cronies simply laugh. Behind Luke, you spot Lando moving into position and you begin to reach out with the Force already, awaiting the moment you’ll have your lightsaber back in your hands again.

 

“Move him into position,” Jabba says in Huttese.

 

Luke salutes in your direction, the signal for R2D2 to get ready and you salute back, before Jabba instructs the guards to “Put him in.”

 

_Go for it, Luke!_

 

Luke allows the guard to prod him to the edge of the plank, before jumping, turning in mid-leap and springing back up onto the ship by grabbing the plank with his fingertips and using it to project himself through the air. At the same time, R2D2 shoots both your lightsabers into the air from a hatch on top of his head. Luke grabs his the second he lands and begins swiping it at the guards on the ship as panicked chaos ensues. Meanwhile, you summon yours with the Force and the first thing you do is cut through the chain binding you to Jabba before racing upstairs to tackle the guards up there. One falls from the smaller ship into the Sarlacc pit and a second later, you send two more spinning down into its mouth from the top of the barge. Below you, you can hear Jabba’s cronies all panicking and crying out in an attempt to either escape or fight back and you spin around to R2D2.

 

“R2, go and help downstairs!” you call.

 

Your droid whistles back in agreement, and goes to do so. Another of Luke’s guards meets his end in the Sarlacc pit, whilst the majority of ones you’re fighting decide to either flee back downstairs or else throw themselves down into the sand dunes rather than take on an almost-fully-trained Jedi dressed as one of Jabba’s slave girls.

 

Down on their ship, Luke unties Han and Chewbacca whilst Lando wrestles with another guard over their blaster. You spot a guard on the barge aiming a gun at them and it fires before you can get close to him. The blast knocks Lando’s guard into the Sarlacc pit but Lando manages to grab a metal pole that’s coming away from the ship and saves himself in the nick of time. You use your lightsaber to slice the gun in half before sending the guard down to join his friends in the pit. Close to you, the bounty hunter who captured Han a year ago, whom you now know to be called Boba Fett, takes off from the barge and lands on the ship.

 

“Look out, Luke!” you yell as he lands in front of your friend.

 

Luke manages to destroy his blaster and Chewbacca jumps on Han to keep him out of harm’s way in his blind state, taking a hit himself. You gasp but Chewie doesn’t look to be badly hurt, just grazed. However, it’s enough to distract Luke for a second as Boba Fett launches a wire from his armoured sleeve, which wraps around Luke, binding his arms to his sides. Annoyance at his sneakiness fills you, and you fling your lightsaber at them, slicing through the cable and knocking Boba Fett to the floor of the ship. Using the Force you call your lightsaber back as Luke nods, gratefully, in your direction and Han and Chewie decide to help Lando.

 

There’s incoming fire from another small ship that comes around towards the pit, and Luke leaps aboard to before taking on their blasts with his lightsaber. You spot Boba Fett getting to his feet and aiming his weapon towards Luke again, but this time, you don’t need to shout out in warning, as Han’s grabbed a spear from the deck and is being alerted to the bounty hunter’s actions by Chewbacca.

 

“Boba Fett?” you hear him exclaim. “Where?”

 

He turns and knocks Boba Fett with the spear, accidently launching his rocket pack again. The bounty hunter smashes into the side of the barge, bounces off, rolls down the dunes and slides into the pit.

 

“Ha!” you exclaim in triumph before running downstairs to see if Leia needs any help. You reach her just as she manages to destroy the lights inside the barge, causing more panic inside, but you can just about see. You watch as she throws her chain around Jabba’s neck and begins to pull, strangling the great creature. With a grin, you rush to help her pull it even tighter, watching Jabba’s tail flailing as he gasps pitifully for air before finally becoming still. Leia breathes out and you slice through her chain with your lightsaber as R2D2 joins you.

 

“Let’s get out of here,” Leia says.

 

“Oh, my eye!” You spin around to see C3PO being terrorised by one of Jabba’s little pets, an ugly creature called Salicious Crumb. “R2, help! Quickly, R2!”

 

R2D2 obliges by blasting at the horrible little creature and frightening it off long enough for you to pull C3PO to his feet. “Get onto the deck,” you order, bringing up the rear of the group. Luke’s leapt aboard in your absence and you dash to help him fend off blaster fire and guards weapons.

 

“Get the gun!” Luke shouts to Leia. “Point it at the deck!”

 

Leia jumps to do so and you hear Luke yell as someone fires a blaster at his robotic hand. Thankfully, it doesn’t affect his Jedi skills as he turns and keeps fighting.

 

“R2, where are we going?” C3PO exclaims, half-blind from one eye-socket being damaged. “I can’t possibly jump-argh!” he adds as R2D2 nudges him off the side of the deck before dropping off after him into the sand.

 

Two guards come running towards you and you start taking their blasts out with your lightsabers. “Come on!” Luke shouts to you, grabbing a cable from the deck to swing onto the ship from.

 

“Come on, _(Y/N)!”_ Leia shouts.

 

“Just go!” you shout, still taking blasts. “I’m fine!”

 

You hear them jump onto the ship and Chewie roars, loudly, just as you manage to knock one guard flying across the deck and the other down into the Sarlacc pit. Then, the sound of someone jumping onto the deck behind you makes you spin around, lightsaber at the ready, but it’s Luke, holding out an arm for you. You get a sense of déjà-vu of four years ago, Luke coming back for you after you’ve been accidently left behind, only this time you don’t have an injured arm, so you run up and fling both arms around him before Luke kicks the trigger of the gun, causing the barge to explode, and you both jump and land on the deck of the smaller ship.

 

“Let’s go!” Luke says to Lando. “And don’t forget the droids!”

 

“We’re on our way,” Lando grins.

 

As the ship sails over where R2D2’s periscope and C3PO’s legs are sticking out of the ground, he activates two magnets from the underside of the ship to lift them out and pull them up onto the ship before you sail away from the exploding barge and off to safety again.

 

You lean back against the railing in relief, unable to believe what you’ve just got away with as you glance around at your friends. They’re all a little shaken, and battle-scarred but none the worse for wear and you smile, tiredly, glad to have Han back at last, glad that Luke didn’t get killed by the Rancor beast, glad that Leia got it into her head to get rid of Jabba the Hut once and for all, glad that Lando’s on your side, glad that Chewbacca’s not seriously hurt, glad that R2D2 and C3PO didn’t get left behind, and honestly, just plain glad to be alive.

 

“Think my eyes are getting worse now,” Han says, glancing in your direction. “You don’t look to be wearing much.”

 

You cover yourself as best as you can. “It’s just your imagination, Han,” you insist, reddening.

 

Luke comes over and hands you a cloak, and you gratefully use it to cover yourself better with. Lando gives his to Leia to shield her own modesty with as you glance at Luke’s injured hand, well, you say “injured,” but really the blast just seared the prosthetic skin away a bit, revealing some of the wires underneath.

 

“Are you alright?” you ask.

 

Luke notices where you’re looking and drops that hand from your shoulder, almost like he’s ashamed of being reminded he’s even got it. “I’m fine. Really.”

 

The pair of you glance back at the ruined barge, reflecting that this really is going to be the last time you ever set foot on this planet. Unconsciously, you reach for Luke’s sleeve but as you do so, he instead slips his hand into yours and squeezes it before turning to give Lando directions out of the Dune Sea and off towards where the cruiser is parked.

 

It’s only when you come upon your destination that you realise he’s been letting you hold his hand the entire way there.


	3. Revelations from Two Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Luke are determined to help bring down the Empire and end this war once and for all, after rescuing your friend Han Solo from the clutches of the evil Jabba the Hut, but it’s not going to be an easy ride. With the revelation that Darth Vader might possibly be your best friend’s father hanging over both your heads, you need to learn to keep your emotions in check in order to come through your greatest battle yet in one piece, but with danger and temptation at every turn, and Luke beginning to realise his feelings for you might not be just platonic after all, who can say what will happen when you finally face the Emperor?

Once you’ve found something a bit better to wear – namely boots, dark leggings, (s/f/c) shirt and (f/c) over-tunic – you and Luke pack R2D2 into Luke’s X-wing and part ways with the others before setting your courses for Degobah.

 

“We’ll meet you back at the Fleet,” Luke reports in.

 

“Hurry,” Leia advises. “The Alliance should be assembled by now.”

 

“We will,” you smile.

 

“Hey, Luke, _(Y/N),_ thanks,” Han says through the comlink, sincerely. “Thanks for coming after me. I owe you one now, kid.”

 

You laugh, softly. “Good to have him back,” you say to Luke. “The old gang back together again.”

 

“Did you miss him?” Luke teases.

 

“Yeah, I did, actually,” you admit. “It was certainly quieter without him around.”

 

R2D2 beeps something into your comlinks and you hear Luke smile as he says “That’s right, R2, we’re going to the Degobah System. We’ve a promise to keep to an old friend.”

 

This time you’re both prepared for the mists that shroud the planet upon entry, so neither of you has a rough landing this time. When you jump down from your cockpit and remove your helmet, you notice that Luke’s pulled a black glove over his injured hand. You understand that, he doesn’t want Yoda to know what happened when you both faced Vader last year, he doesn’t want to seem like a failure in front of your Jedi Master, or be chastised for it. Together you make your way into the midst of the forests you once found creepy but which by now you’re completely used to, followed by R2D2, and towards Yoda’s small house. You feel a sudden twinge of excitement at seeing your Jedi Master again, so you make the last few steps at a run and practically burst through the front door, causing Yoda to look up in surprise.

 

 _“(Y/N)_...I felt your presence...” he greets you.

 

You smile and scrabble forwards through the tiny little house to wrap him in a hug. “We came back, both of us, just like we promised.”

 

Luke comes in behind you and smiles. “Let him breathe, _(Y/N).”_

 

You giggle as you let Yoda go and he smiles up at Luke before inviting you both to sit. You watch him move about in a more frail manner than the first time you met him, and you realise that a lot’s probably happened in the year since you and Luke left Degobah.

 

“Look I so old to young eyes?” Yoda asks.

 

Luke fixes his expression from a concerned one to a neutral one. “No, of course not.”

 

“I do, yes, I do,” Yoda insists, softly, smiling. “Sick I have become. Old and weak. And when nine hundred years old you two reach, look as good you will not, hm?” he adds, poking at you with his stick. You watch as he hobbles over to his bed. “Soon I will rest, yes, forever sleep. Earned it, I have.”

 

“Master Yoda, you can’t die,” Luke protests.

 

“Strong am I with the Force,” Yoda replies. “But not _that_ strong.” He hands Luke his stick as he clambers onto the bed and you and Luke help him arrange his blankets over his tiny body. You feel a rush of sadness, having only known Yoda a short time and now you’re going to lose him. You’re going to miss this mischievous old creature whom you and Luke first met when he took a bite out of Luke’s dinner and tried to steal his lamp a year ago on this very planet. “Twilight is upon me, and soon night must fall. That is the way of things, the way of the Force.”

 

“But we need you,” you say. “That was why we came back, to complete our training.”

 

“No more training do you require,” Yoda replies. “Already know you that which you need.”

 

“Then we are Jedi?” Luke asks.

 

“Oh...” Yoda says, before a small bout of coughing. “Not yet. One thing remains. Vader. You must confront Vader. Then, only then, Jedi will you be. And confront him you will.”

 

You glance at Luke. Neither of you have discussed what Darth Vader told you in Cloud City a year ago, partly because neither of you are entirely sure whether it’s true or not, and partly because you don’t think it’s something Luke really wants to talk about. Still, you reflect, if anyone would know the truth about it, Yoda would; he, after all, knew both your parents and Luke’s father, so he must know the truth.

 

“Master Yoda,” Luke ventures after a long pause, _“is_ Darth Vader my father?”

 

“Rest, I need,” Yoda murmurs, evading the question as he turns over, facing away from you. “Yes, rest.”

 

“Yoda, I must know,” Luke insists.

 

You see Yoda’s ears turn down slightly as he admits “Your father he is.” Luke says nothing as Yoda glances at him. You’re not sure how you feel, you feel like you should have known all along and yet still having it confirmed feels like it changes everything. “Told you, did he?”

 

“Yes,” Luke says.

 

“Unexpected, this is,” Yoda murmurs, “and unfortunate.”

 

“Unfortunate that I know the truth?” Luke asks.

 

“No! Unfortunate that you both rushed to face him, that incomplete was your training,” Yoda replies, turning over to face the pair of you. “Not ready for the burden were you.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Luke murmurs as it begins to dawn on you why Yoda and Ben didn’t want you to rush to face Darth Vader last year.

 

“Remember, a Jedi’s strength flows from the Force, but beware anger, fear, aggression, the Dark Side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny.”

 

“We understand,” you say.

 

“Luke... _(Y/N)_...”Yoda beckons you both forwards and you lean closer to hear his weak rasping. “Do not underestimate the powers of the Emperor, or Vader’s fate you will follow. When I am gone, the last of the Jedi will you be. The Force runs strong in your families. Pass on what you have learned. Luke...there...is...ano...ther...Sk-i-ky-walker...”

 

You both stare at him as his eyes close for the last time, pity filling both of you that you’ve just lost a good teacher and a wise friend. As his body fades and the blanket falls onto the bed, covering no body now, you both sit and contemplate what he’s just told you. Finally, Luke gets to his feet and you follow him. The pair of you make your way to the ships where R2D2 is making any necessary repairs. You pat the little droid fondly on the head, reflecting that if Leia hadn’t planted the Death Star plans in him four years ago, you wouldn’t be here now, almost a Jedi. It was strange how life worked; she hadn’t know that R2D2 and C3PO would get scavenged by Jawas and sold to Luke’s uncle and that you two would be the ones to find her message and come to rescue her from the Death Star with a roguish pirate and a Wookiee in a ship that could make a quick-jump to lightspeed in a matter of seconds.

 

And now here you are, watching your best friend wrestling with his conscious before he finally tells you what was on his mind. You wait and it does come, eventually.

 

“I can’t do it, _(Y/N).”_ Luke sits down beside you. “I can’t kill my own father.”

 

You bite your lip before taking a deep breath. “Luke...that time when I went into the cave...”

 

“You said you saw the past,” Luke remembers.

 

“Yes, but not our past, not exactly,” you say. “I saw my mother and your father...and Ben was right, they were the best of friends, they all were, my mother, my father, your father...and I didn’t realise that the man I was watching them grow up alongside was your father, I never made the connection. But after he turned evil, my mother said to Obi Wan “He was only doing it to save her. Now, I have to try and save him.” I think your father turned to the Dark Side to try and save your mother...and it corrupted him. But my mother always believed there was a little bit of good in him, right up until the end.” You look at him. “And there must be, otherwise he would have killed us last year and he didn’t.”

 

You sit quietly together for a minute, reflecting on your words.

 

“When I went into the cave-” Luke begins, presently.

 

“You don’t have to tell me-” you interrupt.

 

 _“(Y/N),”_ Luke cuts in, touching your knee and causing you to look up at him. His expression is solemn and worried. “I saw myself as Darth Vader.”

 

You stare at him. “But you’re nothing like him! If you’ve ever killed anyone, it’s been in defence or to stop them hurting someone else!”

 

“Yeah, but remember what Yoda said? Anger, fear and aggression lead to the Dark Side.”

 

“Luke, you’re not aggressive. And if anyone gets scared too easily in this team, it’s me, not you. You’re reckless, but that doesn’t make you a Sith Lord.”

 

 _“You_ think I’m reckless?” Luke asks, genuinely surprised.

 

You give him a fond look. “Luke, I’ve thought you were reckless from the day I met you. I mean, you did take on three boys were a lot bigger than you.”

 

Luke half-smiles at that. “But you still hang around with me?”

 

“Well, yeah, because you did save me from getting a bigger hiding than I’d have liked, so I respect you for that,” you reply, shrugging.

 

“You just said there must be good in Vader,” Luke reminds you.

 

“Not as much as there is in you,” you insist. Glancing over at Yoda’s home, you sigh. “How are we supposed to do this...alone?”

 

“Yoda will always be with you,” says a familiar voice.

 

You look up.

 

“Obi Wan,” Luke says. Ben comes into view, the shimmering Force ghost you saw last year trying to convince the pair of you to stay and finish your training. “Why didn’t you tell me? You told me Darth Vader betrayed and murdered my father.” He gestures to you. “Like he did with _(Y/N)’s_ parents.”

 

You nod as Obi Wan steps closer to you. “Your father was seduced by the Dark Side of the Force,” he explains to Luke. “He ceased to be Anakin Skywalker and became Darth Vader. When that happened, the good man that was your father died. So, what I told you was true...from a certain point of view.”

 

You roll your eyes. “A certain point of view?”

 

“You two are going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend largely on our own point of view,” Obi Wan replies, sitting down on a log near to where you and Luke are standing. “Anakin was a good friend. When I first knew him, your father was already a great pilot, but I was amazed at how strongly the Force was with him. I took it upon myself to train him as a Jedi, alongside your mother, _(Y/N)._ I thought that I could instruct him just as well as Yoda. I was wrong.”

 

“But my mother turned out alright,” you point out, sinking onto a log beside him, Luke following suit. “You trained her well.”

 

Obi Wan smiles, sadly. “But I wasn’t able to train her to turn Anakin away from the Dark Side. They were good friends since the day they met, and yet in the end, he still destroyed her.”

 

“There’s still good in him,” Luke insists.

 

“He’s more machine than man now,” Obi Wan replies, doubtfully. “Twisted and evil.”

 

“But he didn’t kill us before,” you reply. “He had every opportunity to. Alright, he might not have killed you,” you add, turning to Luke, “but he could have killed me if he wanted to, and he didn’t.”

 

Luke nods. “I can’t do it, Ben.”

 

“You can’t escape your destiny, either of you,” Obi Wan replies. “You must face Darth Vader again.”

 

“I can’t kill my own father,” Luke insists.

 

You shake your head. “I can’t either. No matter what he’s done, to my parents, to anyone, I just can’t bring myself to hate him that much.”

 

Obi Wan sighs. “Then the Emperor has already won. You two were our last hopes.”

 

“Yoda spoke of another,” Luke remembers.

 

“The other he spoke of is your twin sister,” Obi Wan replies.

 

You frown as Luke says “But I have no sister.”

 

“To protect you both from the Emperor, you were hidden from your father when you were born,” Obi Wan explains. “The Emperor knew, as I did, that if Anakin were to have any offspring, they would be a threat to him.” You reach out with the Force, trying to make sense of all this, and then suddenly a wave of realisation washes over you. “That is why your sister remains safely anonymous.”

 

“Leia!” Luke breathes, coming to the same conclusion as you. “Leia’s my sister.”

 

“Which would explain a lot...” you murmur, realising why they seemed to bond straight away when they first met four years ago, and why they share so many traits; stubbornness, being headstrong, bravery...you should have seen it coming right from the start.

 

“Your insights serve you well,” Obi Wan compliments. “Bury your feelings deep down, both of you. They do you credit. But they could be made to serve the Emperor.”

 

You feel a surge of worry, realising what he means. If you and Luke can reach out with the Force and sense the feelings of others, and their thoughts too, then that means that Darth Vader and the Emperor can too, and they might be able to use them against you.

 

_No! I won’t let that happen! I am not going to let them use my feeling for Luke to turn me to the Dark Side the way the Emperor did to Anakin!_

Even so, it worries you.


	4. Endor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Luke are determined to help bring down the Empire and end this war once and for all, after rescuing your friend Han Solo from the clutches of the evil Jabba the Hut, but it’s not going to be an easy ride. With the revelation that Darth Vader might possibly be your best friend’s father hanging over both your heads, you need to learn to keep your emotions in check in order to come through your greatest battle yet in one piece, but with danger and temptation at every turn, and Luke beginning to realise his feelings for you might not be just platonic after all, who can say what will happen when you finally face the Emperor?

Still reeling from what Yoda and Obi Wan told you, you, Luke and R2D2 leave Degobah and head to the Rebel Headquarters Frigate, where the remaining Rebels are discussing bringing down the new Death Star by sending a strike team to the moon of Endor to take down the control systems being manned there.

 

You both enter the room in time to hear Han saying “Uh, my team’s ready. I don’t have a command crew for the shuttle.”

 

Chewbacca instantly raises his hand with a roar and you bite back a giggle at his insistent nature.

 

“Well, it’s going to be rough, pal, I didn’t want to speak for you,” Han replies. Chewbacca makes a firm growl and Han nods to Admiral Ackbar. “That’s one.”

 

“General, count me in,” Leia smiles.

 

“We’re with you as well,” Luke adds, announcing your presence.

 

Everyone turns as you step down to where they’re sitting and your friends look both surprised and delighted. Leia immediately gets up and hugs you, and you hug her back, a new sense of relief filling you. Well, you hadn’t doubted her feelings for Han when you found out about them, but now you know that nothing can ever happen between her and Luke, because they’re siblings, twins even, you like her all the more. Letting go of her, you grin at Chewbacca as he comes up.

 

“Hey, Chewie, did you miss me?” you ask, patting his arm. The Wookiee growls and pulls you into a hug, which makes you laugh in surprise. “I missed you too!”

 

“What is it?” you hear Leia ask Luke.

 

“Ask me again sometime,” Luke replies, before smiling as Han comes up. “Hey, Han. Chewie.”

 

R2D2 beeps something to C3PO, who replies with a tentative “Exciting” is hardly the word I would use.”

 

You grin, because now it really does feel like the old gang’s back together again; you, Luke, Han, Leia, Chewbacca, C3PO and R2D2, saving the galaxy from the Empire again. You don’t know anything about Endor, but from the way you all get kitted out in camouflage clothing, sturdy helmets and good strong weaponry, you assume it’s probably a dangerous place.

 

Once you’re all set to leave, you go out to the main docking bay to wish Lando good luck, since he’s going to lead the fleet that will actually destroy the Death Star. In a way, you’re a little sad he’s not coming with you, because you’ve come to regard him as a good friend over the last year, and he’s certainly won Leia and Chewbacca’s trust back by helping you save Han from Jabba.

 

“Good luck, Lando,” you say, and then to his surprise you give him a hug. “May the Force be with you.”

 

Lando grins at you. “Don’t worry, _(Y/N),_ I plan on seeing all of you again soon.”

 

“Well, you’d better take care of the Falcon, or Han’ll kill you,” you grin back, before making your way aboard the much smaller Imperial shuttle that’s going to get you all to Endor. You take a seat beside Luke and stretch yourself, suddenly feeling wearied by all the day’s events. When was the last time you actually slept properly? You can’t actually remember.

 

“No, I don’t think the Empire had Wookiees in mind when they designed her, Chewie,” Han says in response to a growl from Chewbacca, which sounds like a complaint, and you giggle as he takes a seat up from beside the Wookiee.

 

Leia comes in and sits down on your other side and you exchange a smile with her, knowing she’s just as fired up for another mission as you are. Seeing that Han’s glance is stuck on something outside the window, she taps his shoulder. “Hey, you awake?”

 

“Yeah, I just got a funny feeling,” Han replies, looking towards the Millennium Falcon. “Like I’m not going to see her again.”

 

You feel a pang, also longing for the cosy and familiar interior of the faithful Falcon. “You will, Han. She couldn’t be in better hands right now.”

 

 _“(Y/N)’s_ right,” Leia agrees. “Come on, General, let’s move.”

 

“Right,” Han agrees, snapping back to the old, easy-going, smart-talking rogue you first met four years ago on Tattooine. “Chewie, let’s see what this piece of junk can do.”

 

As you strap yourself into your seat, you glance at Luke and the pair of you exchange a grin, knowing that you’re both remembering that day four years ago when Luke described the Millennium Falcon as a “piece of junk.” _He’s certainly changed his opinion of the ship since then,_ you reflect.

 

“Here we go again,” C3PO mutters, anxiously.

 

You smile, tiredly, as the stolen shuttle takes off and makes its way quietly towards the moon of Endor. Before you know it, your eyes have fluttered closed for a minute, just a minute, you promise yourself, but you’re suddenly woken by someone nudging you, gently, and you blink the world back into focus, realising you’re resting against Luke’s shoulder.

 

“Oh, did I fall asleep on you? Sorry,” you apologise, moving off him as you stretch.

 

“It’s alright, I don’t mind,” Luke replies, smiling.

 

You look away, pretending to rub an imaginary crick in your neck, but really concealing your blushes. “Are we there yet?”

 

“Yeah, they let us through,” Leia replies.

 

“Told you it would work,” Han grins, before vacating his seat. In a group, you all follow him out into the forest world of Endror, a place where the ferns and other foliage brush up against your knees. Being from a desert planet like Tattooine you’re not quite used to everything around you feeling so alive and automatically you keep close to Luke just in case anything suddenly tries to jump you. C3PO begins to fret about how dangerous it is here as you soon come upon two Imperial Scouts a little way away from you. Thankfully, they don’t notice your party as you all duck to the ground and peer over the top of a large mound that just about conceals you all from their view.

 

“Shall we try and go around?” Leia murmurs.

 

“It’ll take time,” Han mutters back. “This whole party’ll be for nothing if they see us.”

 

You shrug. “Then we’re just going to have to put them out of action before they can spot us.”

 

Han nods in agreement. “Chewie and I’ll take care of this. You stay here.”

 

“Quietly,” Luke reminds him. “There might be more of them.”

 

“Hey.” Han grins. “It’s me.”

 

You, Luke and Leia stifle laughter as you shake your heads, reflecting that this is so like Han, before watching tentatively as he and Chewbacca sneak quietly through the bushes towards the Scouts. They actually do quite well, until Han sneaks up behind one of the Scouts and his face drops as he steps on a twig which snaps very loudly, alerting the Scouts to his presence.

 

“Go for help! Go!” the first Scout shouts to his companion, who immediately jumps on his speeder-bike. Chewbacca causes him to crash into a tree using his crossbow laser, whilst Han immediately gets into a fistfight with the other one.

 

“Great!” Luke groans, sarcastically, grabbing your arm. “Come on!”

 

The three of you run forwards, intending to help Han and Chewbacca, but you and Leia spot two more Scouts speeding off into the distance. “Over there, two more of them!” Leia cries, running over to the remaining speeder-bike.

 

“I see them, wait Leia!” Luke shouts, running after her. You look around but there’s no speeder-bike for you to leap on. Luke throws himself up behind his sister and they take off after the two Scouts.

 

“Well, don’t worry about me!” you shout after them, sarcastically, before sighing and putting your hands on your hips. “Of course,” you mutter, having a sense of déjà-vu all over again, thinking back to the day you all first met. Then, another Scout on a speeder-bike zooms past you, pursuing Luke and Leia. You scowl. “Oh, no, you don’t!” you say, before sending a rock through the air towards him with the Force, knocking him off his speeder-bike, which keeps running, until you use the Force again to summon it back. “Come here,” you murmur, beckoning it and pulling it to your side before leaping aboard and speeding to catch up with your friends.

 

It doesn’t take long.

 

You zoom up alongside Luke and Leia as they try and get alongside one of the Scouts. Luke notices you and yells “Try and get on the other side!”

 

“Got it!” you shout back, before pulling the speeder-bike back so you can dip behind the Scout and come up level with him. The Scout notices you and tries to ram into you, almost knocking you off the speeder-bike in the process. Then Luke leaps onto the back of his bike, grabs the Scout and flips him off onto the forest floor. You grin as the three of you pursue the remaining Scout, and then two more Scouts speed up behind you. “Aw, come on!” you exclaim. “Leia, stay with that one! We’ll get these two!”

 

Leia does as you say as the pair of you slam on your brakes, allowing the pursuing Scouts to pass you before speeding after them. Luke quickly takes down one with the blaster attached to the front of his speeder-bike, and you shoot him a grin as you pursue the other. Leia and her Scout are too far ahead for either of you to see but you pray she’s alright as you come up against the Scout ahead of you. This time, though, he’s ready for you and slams into your speeder-bike with such a force that he knocks you off course. Seeing a tree rushing up towards you, you throw yourself down to the ground, and just in time too, as a second later your bike hits the tree and explodes. You land awkwardly, however, on your side, winded by the fall.

 

 _“(Y/N)!”_ you hear Luke shout.

 

You close your eyes, vaguely aware of the sounds of the speeder-bikes zooming about and clattering against each other, and then another explosion causes you to shoot up again with your eyes wide open as you see a speeder-bike collide with another tree, and the remaining Scout coming over towards you.

 

“Luke!” you shout, fearing the worst, but he suddenly springs up from the undergrowth near you and ignites his lightsaber. You do the same as the Scout begins firing blasts at the pair of you and you deflect them with your blades before the bike comes right up close to you and Luke slices through its control vanes, causing the whole thing to spin out of control and collide with a tree, the explosion wiping out both Scout and speeder-bike.

 

Relieved, you stagger to your feet, pulling off your helmet as you rub your ribs with your other hand. Luke removes his own helmet, breathing heavily, before turning to you in concern. You’re about to tell him you’re alright when he takes you completely by surprise by closing the distance between you in three quick strides and pulls you firmly into a one-armed hug. You blink, because this wouldn’t be unusual in a scenario like fighting against Darth Vader or whatever, but all you’ve done is fall off a bike, heck you’ve fallen down plenty of times and been hurt worse, and he’s never acted _this_ concerned before. Still, you suppose, it’s nice that he cares.

 

“Are you okay?” Luke whispers against your hair.

 

“I think so,” you murmur back. “Apart from the bruised ribs and arm...kind of like when we first met.” Then, you break the awkwardness by pulling away from him and glancing around. “Where’s Leia?”

 

Luke frowns, worriedly. “I don’t know. I didn’t see her land.”

 

“Knowing her, she’s probably on her way back to the others already,” you say, trying to sound positive for his sake. And yours, after all she’s always been your friend too. “We might run into her on the way.”

 

Luke nods, before grabbing your arm, left hand as usual, you note. “Yeah, come on, let’s get out of here.”

 

You push your way through the undergrowth of this vast jungle wilderness, keeping an eye out for any more Imperial Scouts. Thankfully, though, you find none, and soon reach Han and the others. Your heart sinks, however, when you see that Leia’s not there.

 

“Luke! _(Y/N)!”_ Han greets you in relief, before frowning. “Where’s Leia?”

 

“What, she didn’t come back yet?” Luke asks.

 

“I thought she was with you two,” Han practically growls.

 

“We got separated,” Luke explains.

 

“Come on, let’s find her,” you say, glancing uneasily around at the forest. “I don’t trust this place.”

 

Han nods and signals to a Rebel officer on your team. “Take the squad ahead,” he instructs. “We’ll meet at the shield generator at 0300.”

 

“Come on, R2, we’ll need your scanners,” Luke calls.

 

“Don’t worry, Master Luke, we know what to do!” C3PO calls back as they make their way over to you, adding in an irritated voice to R2D2, “And _you_ said it was _pretty_ here!”

 

You smile, tiredly, feeling safer for having the droids and Chewbacca with you in this place. Eerily, it’s too quiet, that’s what’s bothering you. If anything is here, it must be hiding and you don’t like that.

 

It isn’t long before you come across a large tree stuck in the middle of a clearing. Climbing over it, in a rather undignified fashion, but thanks to your camouflage jodhpurs it doesn’t matter, you frown when you see a helmet exactly like the one you discarded earlier after crashing your speeder-bike. You bend to pick it up as Luke comes up to see what you’ve found. You bite your lip and turn to him, showing it to him. Before he can say anything, Han calls out “Luke! _(Y/N)!”_

 

You both jog up to him as he shows you the wreckage of a speeder-bike, charred and demolished in the middle of the grass.

 

“There’s two more wrecked speeders back there,” Luke reports.

 

“And I found this,” you add, holding out the helmet.

 

Han takes it from you as C3PO reports “I’m afraid R2’s sensors can find no trace of Princess Leia.”

 

“I hope she’s alright,” Han murmurs. Chewbacca suddenly sniffs the air and then, making an urgent roaring noise, surges forwards through the foliage. “What, Chewie?” Han asks as you and Luke frown, wondering what he’s discovered. _“What,_ Chewie?” Han repeats, more firmly, when the Wookiee fails to respond.

 

Curiously, the five of you follow Chewbacca over to a dead tree where hangs what looks like a decayed animal carcass. You immediately cover your nose and mouth because it smells slightly rancid. “Urgh, Chewie!” you complain. “Trust you to find that!”

 

“Hey, I don’t get it,” Han frowns as Chewbacca examines the deceased creature. “Nah, it’s just some dead animal, Chewie.”

 

As Chewbacca reaches for the meat, however, you and Luke both sense something with the Force.

 

“Chewie, wait, don’t-!” Luke begins, running forwards to stop him.

 

Too late.

 

Chewbacca touches the meat.

 

SPRING!

 

You all yell out, and R2D2 whistles in alarm, as something comes up under you and thrusts you all up into the air in a mad jumble of arms, legs and droid components. It’s a net, you realise, a second later, and so tightly made that there’s barely any room for any of you to manoeuvre. You feel your face grow scarlet as you realise that you’re practically on top of Luke, but you can’t actually get off him because of the way the net’s designed to squash you all in the way it’s currently doing.

 

“Sorry, Luke,” you groan.

 

“It’s alright, I don’t mind,” he replies.

 

“Nice work!” Han snaps to a now very regretful Chewbacca. “Great, Chewie, great! Always thinking with your stomach!”

 

“Will you take it easy?” Luke asks. “Let’s just figure out a way out of this. Han, can you reach one of our lightsabers?”

 

“Yeah...sure...” Han groans, trying to reach around to do so. This only causes the net to swing around, however, and Chewbacca groans, uncomfortably.

 

“Same here, Chewie,” you mutter.

 

“R2, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” says C3PO. You turn, although since R2D2’s at the bottom of the pile, you can’t actually see what he’s doing, although judging from the tiny sawing sound you can hear he’s got his cutting device out. “It’s a very long DROP!”

 

The bottom of the net falls through thanks to R2D2 and the five of you tumble out again and land on the forest floor. You sit up, rubbing your shoulder and trying to regain your senses before realising that the leaves around you are moving and small, furry creatures are emerging from behind them. R2D2 begins to whimper as they surround your group. There are hundreds of them, all armed with primitive weapons, but they seem so cute that you can’t help smiling along with Luke and Han as you all stare around at the creatures in wonder. You then remember Admiral Ackbar mentioned some creatures called Ewoks that lived here; could these be them?

 

“Hey!” Han says, suddenly, as one shoves a spear towards him. “Point that thing someplace else!” He pushes the spear away aggressively, and the Ewoks mutter to each other before that same one thrusts the spear at Han again. “Hey!” Han exclaims, angrily, grabbing the spear as he reaches for his blaster.

 

“Han, don’t,” Luke says, stopping him. “It’ll be alright.”

 

“You reckon?” you ask, looking all around the group again. You meet Chewbacca’s eyes and he gives you an odd look which makes you frown, before R2D2 catches your attention and whistles. That’s when you realise you’re sitting in Luke’s lap and you quickly scrabble off him, trying to pretend it didn’t happen. Luke doesn’t seem to notice, however.

 

“Chewie, give them your crossbow,” he says as the Ewoks start to gather your weapons. Reluctantly, you give up your lightsaber as C3PO finally sits up, moaning “Oh, my head!”

 

The Ewoks all gasp and start at his appearance.

 

“Oh, my goodness,” C3PO adds, glancing around at them as they immediately begin to bow over and over again. They chant at C3PO and he replies back in the same language.

 

“You can understand them?” you say, temporarily forgetting that C3PO is a translator droid.

 

“Oh, yes, Mistress _(Y/N),_ remember I am fluent in over six million forms of communication-”

 

“What are you telling them?” Han interrupts.

 

“Hello, I think,” C3PO replies. “I could be mistaken, they’re using a very primitive dialect but I do believe that they think that I am some sort of god.”

 

You giggle as Luke gives you a “Whatever next?” look, R2D2 whistles and Chewbacca lets out a roaring laugh. Han, on the other hand, is less amused. “Well, why don’t you use your divine influence and get us out of this?” he asks.

 

“I beg your pardon, General Solo, but that just wouldn’t be proper,” C3PO replies.

 

“Proper?” Han repeats, incredulously.

 

“It’s against my programming to impersonate a deity,” C3PO explains.

 

“Why, you-!” Han gets to his feet. C3PO jumps and the Ewoks immediately fend Han off with their spears, defending C3PO. You and Luke get up to as Han raises his hands in surrender. “My mistake,” he tries to explain. “He’s an old friend of mine.”

 

“Still think we’re going to be alright?” you mutter to Luke.

 

“Yeah, we’ll be fine,” Luke mutters back, and you feel his hand brush against yours before you both raise your arms in surrender.


	5. Family Matters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Luke are determined to help bring down the Empire and end this war once and for all, after rescuing your friend Han Solo from the clutches of the evil Jabba the Hut, but it’s not going to be an easy ride. With the revelation that Darth Vader might possibly be your best friend’s father hanging over both your heads, you need to learn to keep your emotions in check in order to come through your greatest battle yet in one piece, but with danger and temptation at every turn, and Luke beginning to realise his feelings for you might not be just platonic after all, who can say what will happen when you finally face the Emperor?

How it happens, you’re still not quite sure, but the next thing you know you, Luke, Han and Chewbacca are all tied to posts and being carried to the Ewoks’ campsite. Likewise, R2D2, being the awkward shape he is, is tied to a sort of wooden trolley and wheeled along. Only C3PO, their newly found “god” is treated with any sort of respect as he is carried freely on a chair into the main hut. Once inside, you, Luke and Chewbacca are all propped up around what looks like some kind of firepit whilst Han is left swinging over it as an Ewok you assume to be some kind of medicine man comes up to C3PO and begins chattering to him as the other Ewoks starts piling wood on the fire.

 

“This doesn’t look good,” you mutter.

 

“What did he say?” Han asks C3PO.

 

“I’m rather embarrassed, General Solo, but it appears you are to be the main course at a banquet in my honour,” C3PO admits.

 

Chewbacca roars in alarm as the Ewoks pile on more fire wood. One of them starts beating a drum, which you take as a sign that the barbecue is about to start. Then, to your surprise, Leia emerges from the doorway of the hut, wearing a primitive-styled dress, her hair down and looking none the worse for wear, having survived the speeder-bike crash you and the others found earlier. You feel a rush of relief as you call out “Leia!”

 

Luke and Han look up too. “Leia!”

 

“Your Royal Highness!” C3PO greets her.

 

Leia starts towards you but the Ewoks block her path. “But these are my friends,” she protests, turning to C3PO. “3PO, tell them they must be set free.”

 

Chewbacca growls in agreement.

 

C3PO speaks to the Ewoks in their own language but whatever he says gets shrugged off as they continue to build up the fire.

 

“Somehow I got the feeling that didn’t help us very much,” Han growls.

 

“3PO,” Luke says, “tell them that if they don’t do as you wish, you’ll become angry and use your magic.”

 

“But, Master Luke, _what_ magic?” C3PO protests. “I couldn’t possibly-!”

 

“Just tell them,” Luke interrupts.

 

C3PO translates this to the Ewoks with a dramatic flair, ending with an explosive gesture and the word “Boom!” The Ewoks start, slightly, but still continue to build up the fire, coming towards the pile Han’s currently stretched over with lit torches. “You see, Master Luke, they didn’t believe me, just as I said they wouldn’t.” C3PO says in despair.

 

Han chuckles, nervously, and tried to blow out the nearest torch. You glance at Chewbacca who looks terrified at the prospect of being eaten. Luke on the other hand has his eyes closed and is reaching out with the Force. Realising this, you decide to help him and the next sounds you hear are the startled chitterings from the Ewoks and C3PO exclaiming “Oh, goodness, what’s happening? Help! Put me down! Help! Master Luke! Somebody help!” You both open your eyes to see C3PO’s chair levitating over the terrified Ewoks with C3PO still in it. “R2! R2!” C3PO calls. “Quickly, quickly, do something!”

 

The Ewok chief barks instructions to the others and they rush to cut you all free. You grin as you and Luke levitate C3PO’s chair back to the ground again. The Ewok medicine man cuts R2D2 free and he instantly falls over. The Ewok picks him back up again, only for a very annoyed R2D2 to draw his laser weapon and start blasting the poor Ewok in the behind, shocking him repeatedly.

 

You laugh. “Alright, R2, that’s enough! R2!” you add, firmly, when R2D2 doesn’t do what he’s told right away. Reluctantly, the droid puts away his weapon and comes over to you. The Ewoks “Oooh!” as Han rushed to Leia and they kiss before you and Luke run up and join the hug.

 

“Thanks, 3PO,” Luke grins.

 

“Never knew I had it in me,” C3PO answers, faintly.

 

With C3PO as your translator your group soon comes to learn that the Ewoks are actually quite friendly underneath their savage primitiveness. Soon he starts telling them to story of how you all came to be here on Endor now, beginning right at the start with Leia giving R2D2 the Death Star plans and then he and C3PO meeting you and Luke on Tattooine. You can’t understand Ewok, of course, but the sound effects C3PO makes as he tells the story keeps you up to date about where he’s got to when R2D2 interrupts with a soft bleep.

 

“Yes, R2, I was just coming to that,” C3PO says, impatiently, before continuing with the story. Leia leans against Han, and you know what she’s thinking, because it’s what you’re thinking. When C3PO puts it all together in a story like this, it’s startling what you’ve all been through over the past four years together. You giggle as an Ewok that seems to have become friendly with Leia cuddles up against Han’s leg, much to his bewilderment. Finally, C3PO comes to end of the story and after a brief conversation with the Ewok Chief announces “Wonderful! We are now a part of the tribe!”

 

“Just what I always wanted,” Han mutters, sarcastically, grinning as an Ewok hugs him.

 

_“Part of the tribe..?”_

 

You feel a pang of something and quickly walk out of the hut. It’s night now and the air is cool and still, just what you need because it’s been feeling rather stuffy inside that hut, too close and crowded. Leaning on the railings of one of the bridges, you stare out over the forest, feeling strangely calm. With the Force, you’ve been able to discuss quietly with Luke what you need to do. If he believes that there’s still good in his father, then Obi Wan’s right, you do need to face him again, but this time it won’t end with the spilling of anyone’s blood.

 

You won’t be turned and neither will Luke.

 

“Hey, are you okay?” You turn to see Luke coming up to you, concern writ all over his face.

 

You force a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just...you know...” You gesture to the hut. “Families. Just brings it all back, I guess, not knowing mine...apart from Grandfather, of course.”

 

Luke moves closer to you and leans on the railing beside you, his arm flush against yours. You do your best not to blush as he looks into your eyes. _“(Y/N),_ you still have a family. You’ve got me, and R2, and 3PO...” You can’t help laughing then and he grins, bewildered. “What?”

 

“Sorry, just having a vision of C3PO cooking in the kitchen,” you admit, sobering up. Looking back at your best friend, you smile, sincerely. “Thanks, Luke.”

 

He turns and pulls you into a hug, with both arms this time, you realise, although he still refrains from touching you with his right hand. Nevertheless, you close your eyes and hug him back, enjoying the moment. The last time you two hugged for this long was when Luke lost Owen and Beru, and before that when you lost your Grandfather. Now, though, it feels different, it’s not just for comfort, it’s something else, something has shifted in your relationship lately. Luke has always been a protective friend but now he's becoming even more protective, if his reaction to you falling off the speeder-bike earlier is anything to go by. You feel him shift his face closer to your hair and you could swear to heaven that he’s inhaling your scent. _He’s never done that before._ _Why is he acting like this? Unless..._

 

 _No!_ You push that thought out of your head. _It’s this place, it’s making us all act crazy._

 

Sensing Leia’s presence near you, you reluctantly pull out of the hug and mutter “You’d better tell her before we leave. She needs to know.”

 

Luke watches as you leave, not looking back as you hear Leia ask him what’s wrong. You make your way across the bridge and down to the ground where you sit on a fallen log and lean against the trunk of a large tree. Closing your eyes, you realise you can hear a snatch of Luke and Leia’s conversation from where you’re sitting.

 

“No!” It’s Leia talking now. “Luke, run away, far away, be with _(Y/N)!”_

 

You shake your head at what you believe is naivety on her part.

 

“Love is a powerful emotion, _(Y/N),”_ says Obi Wan’s voice, and you look around, but he’s only in your head this time. “But beware. The Emperor could use it against you.”

 

“Not if I blot it from his vision,” you reply, confidently.

 

Then another voice reaches you, one that’s familiar but which you’ve only ever heard in memories until now. “I knew you’d master confidence eventually.”

 

You snap your eyes open and stare up at the shimmering woman with _(Y/M/H/C)_ hair and _(Y/M/E/C)_ eyes dressed in Jedi robes and smiling down at you. At once you feel a mixture of emotions, annoyance rather than anger, hurt, awe, sadness, as you spring to your feet.

 

“Mother?”

 

Your mother’s spirit smiles, gently, at you. “Yoda’s trained you well, both of you.”

 

You run a hand through your hair in disbelief before turning on her. “I thought you never came to see me because you _weren’t_ a Force ghost! Where were you? All those times when I needed you-!”

 

She shakes her head. “You didn’t need me, _(Y/N)._ You only thought you did. All your life you’ve struggled and survived to get to this point. I’m so proud of you.”

 

“I _wanted_ you,” you say, pained. “I wanted to know you, and Father, didn’t you ever think of that?”

 

Your mother reaches out her hand and lays it on your shoulder, although you feel nothing. “He would be so proud of you too.” You look up at her as she adds “I’ve watched over you all your life, _(Y/N)._ Your father and I loved you so much right from the start. My only wish for you was that you wouldn’t be alone, and you never were. Look at you now. Luke’s right, you do have a family...in the friends you’ve made.” She looks over your shoulder. “Look after her.”

 

You turn and see Luke standing a little way away from you, slightly awed by your mother’s presence, but he manages a nod. “I will.”

 

Your mother smiles. “Your mother loved you and Leia very much. She would be proud of both of you too.” Then she turns to you. “Remember, the Force will always be with you, and so will I.”

 

“Mother...” you begin but she fades and vanishes right in front of you.

 

Luke comes up as you stare after her, trying not to cry, and pulls you wordlessly into another hug. You manage not to cry very much as he holds you, comforting you silently, because there are times you’ve found when neither of you needs to talk to be able to let the other know that you’re there, and this is one of them. Eventually, you pull yourself together and pull away, wiping your eyes.

 

“You okay?” Luke asks, gently.

 

You nod. “Yeah. I’m fine. We should get going.”

 

Together you make your way to where the shuttle’s parked and you hop into the seat usually occupied by Chewie, as co-pilot, whilst Luke takes the one usually occupied by Han, the main pilot. You feel strangely calm about going to face Darth Vader this time, and you can’t find any explanation for why other than you feel that you’re one with the Force for the first time in your life. All of Yoda’s lessons filter through your mind and you check them off one by one, realising that you really are capable of anything a true Jedi can do.

 

_Just this one last battle, and then we’ll be Jedi, the first for years._

 

“Are you nervous?” you ask.

 

“No,” Luke replies, calmly. “I feel like I should be, but I’m not.”

 

“Me neither,” you agree.

 

Together you set the shuttle’s co-ordinates and set off in the direction of the Imperial Landing Platform of the new Death Star. Unlike the last one, which could have easily been mistaken for a small moon, this new one looks like it’s only half finished, but you know that even if that was the case, it has a weapon powerful enough to destroy whole planets at the touch of a button...which is why it has to be destroyed just like the first one.

 

As you touch down, you see an Imperial Commander making his way towards your ship, and as you open the ship’s door and step out, you recognise the burly figure of your childhood torments.

 

“Del...” you murmur.

 

“You know him?” Luke asks, surprised.

 

“Yeah, and so do you,” you reply, looking at him. “He’s the reason we’re friends.”

 

Luke remembers and his eyes widen slightly. “That’s the bully who used to hit you?”

 

You nod. “Doesn’t surprise me he ended up here.”

 

Del Beren reaches you and scowls at you. _“(Y/N) (Y/L/N).”_

 

You nod, calmly. “I heard you’d gone to the Academy, Del, so I suppose it was inevitable you’d end up here.”

 

“And what are you supposed to be, some sort of Jedi now?” Del scoffs.

 

“We _are_ Jedi,” Luke replies, his voice soft and fierce as he steps forwards, drawing attention to the lightsaber at his belt.

 

Del turns and recognises the boy who pushed him down all those years ago. Swallowing down any further retorts, he whips out his blaster and gestures at the pair of you with it. “Surrender or die.”

 

“We _do_ surrender,” you sigh, drawing your lightsaber and holding it out to him, unlit. Luke does the same but Del doesn’t take them. Instead he beckons over two Stormtroopers whilst holding the pair of you at bay with his blaster, and they come up with their weapons raised. Lowering his own, Del takes your lightsabers before gesturing to the Stormtroopers to snap binders onto the pair of you.

 

“Where did you come from? Endor?”

 

“Yes, but there’s no one else there,” you say.

 

Del doesn’t look like he believes you, but all he does is command you to follow him, and you do, flanked by the Stormtroopers. You walk in silence until you come upon Darth Vader. This time you don’t feel fear or anxiety in his presence, but that same eerie calm you felt back on Endor. Briefly you wonder if this was how Obi Wan felt right up until the end, even when he let Darth Vader kill him.

 

“These are the Rebels that surrendered to us,” Del greets him, with a salute. “Although they deny it, I believe there may be more of them and I request permission to conduct a further search of the area. They were armed only with these.”

 

He presents the lightsabers, which Darth Vader takes. “Good work, Commander,” he says, after a momentary hesitation. “Leave us. Conduct your search and bring their companions to us.”

 

Del nods and leads the Stormtroopers away. Darth Vader turns and walks alongside the pair of you, which is oddly companionable in a tranquil sort of way.

 

“The Emperor has been expecting the two of you,” Darth Vader says.

 

“We know, Father,” Luke replies.

 

You imagine Darth Vader’s face beneath his mask looking slightly surprised as he says “So, you have accepted the truth.”

 

“I have accepted the truth that you were once Anakin Skywalker, my father,” Luke replies.

 

“That name no longer has any meaning for me,” Darth Vader says, pointing to Luke with his lightsaber. Somehow that actually makes him sound like a father, you realise, scolding his son. Inwardly you wonder what Luke’s life would have been like had his father stayed a Jedi and his mother lived and Leia grown up alongside him. It would be a completely different picture to one he had ended up with.

 

“It is the name of your true self,” Luke insists. “You’ve only forgotten. I know there’s good in you.”

 

“I feel it too,” you add. “The Emperor hasn’t destroyed it completely.”

 

“That was why you couldn’t destroy us,” Luke finishes, glancing out of the window. “That’s why you won’t take us to your Emperor now.”

 

Darth Vader ignites Luke’s lightsaber and you automatically flinch, thinking he’s about to use it on one of you, but he just examines it. “I see you have constructed a new lightsaber,” he says. “Your skills are complete.”

 

You step forwards as he extinguishes the blade. “You should come with us. Now. You could help us end this war.”

 

“Obi Wan and your mother once thought as you do,” Darth Vader replies.

 

His voice betrays nothing, and you wish that you weren’t locked in binders because you’ve got the sudden urge to fold your arms. “She never gave up on you, even when you ended her life. And neither will we.”

 

“You don’t know the power of the Dark Side,” Darth Vader replies, addressing both of you. “I must obey my Master.”

 

“We will not turn,” Luke insists, “and you’ll be forced to kill us.”

 

“If that is your destiny,” Darth Vader replies, emotionlessly.

 

“Search your feelings, Father,” Luke urges. “You can’t do this. I feel the conflict within you. Let go of your hate.”

 

“It is too late for me, my son,” Darth Vader states. “The Emperor will show you the true nature of the Force. He is your Master now.”

 

You move closer to Luke as Darth Vader signals more Stormtroopers to your sides.

 

“Then, my father is truly dead,” Luke says.

 

You allow the Stormtroopers to lead you away, but you look back once at Darth Vader, reaching out with the Force. You feel his anger and hatred and stubbornness, which reminds you of Luke, but there’s something else there too...a slight hint of doubt, as if he’s not quite certain of what he just told you and Luke. Turning away, you fall into step beside Luke as the Stromtroopers lead you on, gripping your courage with both hands, metaphorically, of course.

 

It’s time to meet the Emperor.

 


	6. Final Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Luke are determined to help bring down the Empire and end this war once and for all, after rescuing your friend Han Solo from the clutches of the evil Jabba the Hut, but it’s not going to be an easy ride. With the revelation that Darth Vader might possibly be your best friend’s father hanging over both your heads, you need to learn to keep your emotions in check in order to come through your greatest battle yet in one piece, but with danger and temptation at every turn, and Luke beginning to realise his feelings for you might not be just platonic after all, who can say what will happen when you finally face the Emperor?

The Emperor’s Throne Room is just one dark space, and even though it’s not particularly cold inside, you shiver the second you step from the lift. It’s the darkness, you realise, flowing from the Emperor’s power, that makes you twitch like that. He sits on a raised platform atop a set of steps, his face deformed like nothing you have ever seen before, and yet even though he has this aura of intimidation about his presence, you don’t feel scared. Darth Vader bows to his Master as the Emperor turns his gaze on the pair of you.

 

“Welcome, young Skywalker and young _(Y/L/N),_ I have been expecting the two of you,” he says. “You no longer need those.” With a wave of his hand he uses the Force to unlock your binders. You slip them off in relief and stretch your arms out, seeing now why Chewbacca was so reluctant to put them on four year ago on the first Death Star. “Guards, leave us,” the Emperor adds, dismissing his red-cloaked guards with another gesture of his hand. “I’m looking forward to completing your training. In time you two will call me Master.”

 

“You’re gravely mistaken,” Luke replies, steadily. “You won’t convert us as you did my father.”

 

“And Master Yoda said we didn’t need any more training,” you add, coolly, now free to fold your arms.

 

The Emperor gets up from his throne and walks down the steps towards you both. You still refuse to be intimidated by him, both you and Luke meeting his gaze with your own. “Oh, no, my young Jedi. You will find that it is you two who are mistaken, about a great many things.”

 

You scowl, showing your defiance as Darth Vader steps up behind you. “Their lightsabers,” he says, presenting them to his Master. The Emperor takes them and turns them over in his hands, examining them.

 

“Ah, yes, Jedi weapons,” he croons, tauntingly. “Much like your parents’. By now you must know, Skywalker, that your father can never be turned from the Dark Side. So will it be with you.”

 

“You’re wrong,” Luke replies. “Soon we’ll be dead, and you along with us.”

 

The Emperor laughs. “Perhaps you refer to the imminent attack of your Rebel fleet?” You both look up, sharply. “Yes, I assure you we are quite safe from your friends here.”

 

You watch him, carefully, as he starts back for the throne. “Your overconfidence is your weakness.”

 

“Your faith in your friends is _yours,”_ he retorts.

 

“It is pointless to resist, my son,” Darth Vader says to Luke.

 

“Everything that has transpired has done so according to my design,” the Emperor states, turning to face the three of you. He points to the window behind his throne, through which you can see Endor. “Your friends up there on the Sanctuary Moon are walking into a trap. As is your Rebel Fleet. It was _I_ who allowed the Alliance to know the location of the shield generator.” Your stomach drops as the realisation sinks in. “It is quite safe from your pitiful little band. An entire legion of my best troops awaits them. Oh,” he adds, with mock regret, “I’m afraid the deflector shield will be quite operational when your friends arrive.”

 

A twinge of worry goes through you for Lando and the Millennium Falcon, but you quash it down. _Control your feelings, (Y/N), conceal them, don’t let them know what you’re really feeling._ Pretending that you don’t believe him, you give a small shrug of unconcern although in a split second a space battle seems to be breaking out in the distance, you can see your allied ships and the flashing of criss-crossed gunfire illuminating the sky.

 

“Come, see for yourselves,” the Emperor says, beckoning you forwards. You and Luke exchange a glance as you move closer to the window. “From here you will witness the final destruction of the Alliance and the end of your insignificant Rebellion.”

 

_Don’t listen to him, (Y/N)! Alright, so killing the Emperor would stop this, but we can’t do that, we can’t turn to the Dark Side..!_

 

Luke glances at you lightsabers, sitting on the armrest of the Emperor’s throne. The Emperor chuckles. “You want this, don’t you?” he says, touching Luke’s. “The hate is swelling in you now. Take your Jedi weapon. Use it. I am unarmed. Strike me down with it. Give in to your anger. With each passing moment you make yourselves more my servants.”

 

“No,” Luke murmurs.

 

You reach for his sleeve and he steps closer to you, reassuring you.

 

“It is unavoidable. It is your destiny. You, like your father, are now mine,” the Emperor insists.

 

You shake your head. “You’re wrong.” The Emperor gives you a look that you take to be some kind of sly frown, it’s hard to tell with his deformities, and you look away from him, although you still feel his stare burning into the back of your skull.

 

The battle commences beyond the window and you both stand helpless, unable to do anything to help your allies right now.

 

“As you can see, my young apprentices,” the Emperor croons, “your friends have failed. Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational battle station.” He speaks into a small comlink. “Fire at will, Commander.”

 

You swallow hard.

 

“It’ll be alright,” Luke whispers, leaning closer to you.

 

Nodding, you watch as the Millennium Falcon gets buffeted by the blast from the Death Star, but doesn’t seem to suffer any visible damage. Other ships in the Rebel fleet, however, aren’t so lucky, they’re easy picking for the Death Star’s firepower.

 

“Your fleet has lost,” the Emperor taunts. “And your friends on the Endor moon will not survive. There is no escape, my young apprentices. The Alliance will die...as will your friends.” You and Luke turn to him, your eyes falling to your own lightsaber but you shake your head, trying to resist the urge to grab it and slice the smug grin off his face. “Good. I can feel your anger. I am defenceless. Take your weapons. Strike me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the Dark Side will be complete.”

 

_Calm, (Y/N), stay calm..!_

 

Everything happens very fast as Luke suddenly turns away from you and summons his lightsaber into his hand with the Force before swinging it at the Emperor. In the nick of time his blow is parried by Darth Vader’s and they begin battle again. You stare at them, not entirely sure how this has happened, and then common sense prevails and you summon your own lightsaber and rush to help, ignoring the Emperor completely.

 

_I did it! I didn’t strike him down! I could have, but I didn’t, I ran to help Luke instead!_

 

The Emperor laughs, evilly, as it becomes you and Luke against Darth Vader, just like back in Cloud City, only this time there’s more vigour, more passion in your fighting, and you’re both more skilled, you’ve learned a lot since then. Together you manage to force Darth Vader back and he overbalances, toppling down the steps.

 

“Good,” the Emperor purrs, “use your aggressive feelings. Let the hate flow through you.”

 

_Hate?_

 

You quickly deactivate your lightsaber and Luke does the same as Darth Vader looks up at you both. “Obi Wan has taught you both well.”

 

“I will not fight you, Father,” Luke says.

 

You think that’s actually a little redundant since he just _was_ fighting his father, but you don’t point that out. Instead, catching your breath, you say “Neither will I. And actually it was Yoda who taught us to control the Force.”

 

Darth Vader walks back up to your level, igniting his lightsaber again. “It is unwise to lower your defences,” he says, before attacking. You block his oncoming blow and leap out of the way, to safety, as Luke spring up onto the catwalk above.

 

“Your thoughts betray you, Father,” he says. “I feel the good in you, the conflict.”

 

“There is no conflict,” Darth Vader states.

 

“You couldn’t bring yourself to kill us before, and I don’t believe you’ll destroy us now,” Luke replies, calmly.

 

With a grin, you leap up to his level as Darth Vader looks up at you. “You both underestimate the power of the Dark Side. If you will not fight, then you will meet your destiny.”

 

He throws his lightsaber, severing the supports of the catwalk, and you feel Luke grab you as you both tumble to the ground before he drags you back into the shadows beneath the Emperor’s platform.

 

“Good,” you hear the Emperor laugh. “Good.”

 

You realise then that you don’t actually hate the Emperor, you just find him really annoying. A good punch would suffice, never mind killing him. Reaching out with the Force, you sense Darth Vader nearby, looking for the pair of you.

 

“You cannot hide forever,” he says.

 

“We will not fight you,” Luke insists, using the Force so he doesn’t betray your location.

 

“Give yourself to the Dark Side,” Darth Vader insists. “It is the only way to save your friends.” You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to quash down you worry about them, but it’s no good. “Yes, your thoughts betray you. Your feelings for them are strong, both of you. Especially for...” You open your eyes, wondering what he’s just realised. “Sister...” You feel slightly sick at the way he says that, almost as if he’s relishing the fact he’s discovered Luke’s secret. “So...you have a twin sister, my son. Obi Wan was wise to hide her from me. Now his failure is complete.” You grip your lightsaber handle tightly. “If you will not turn to the Dark Side, then perhaps she will.”

 

You shove away from your hiding place, causing Luke to stare at you, both bewildered and alarmed, as you reveal yourself to Darth Vader and point your ignited lightsaber in his direction. It’s partly because of your platonic love for Leia that you’re doing this, and partly because you know it would hurt Luke if anything happened to her.

 

“Leave her out of this,” you say, steadily. “Your battle’s with us, not her.”

 

Darth Vader approaches you and you hold your ground until he attacks, and you defend yourself in a clash of sparks from your lightsabers. Red and _(Y/F/C)_ blur almost into one colour, showing anyone watching just how quickly your reflexes work against each other, how brutal your blows towards one another are. Luke almost can’t believe you’ve gone rushing into the heat of battle without him. Truth be told, you were frightened that his father’s taunting might lead him to towards the Dark Side again.

 

_I don’t hate Vader. I don’t hate the Emperor. I will not be turned._

 

You put up as good a fight as you can manage, until one of you, and you’re still not quite sure which one of you, manages to cut away part of the railing surrounding the edge of the platform you’re standing on, sending it spinning into the seemingly bottomless shaft below. The worst part comes next, however, your life literally flashing before your eyes as you duck to avoid Darth Vader’s next blow, which sends your lightsaber spinning across the floor and knocks you back, only your quick thinking in grabbing the remaining part of the railing keeps you from toppling over the edge. Glancing up, feeling you’re only clinging between life and death by balancing on the balls of your feet, you see that Darth Vader is about to end your life, when-

 

**“NO!”**

 

You’ve never heard Luke shout like that before, as he comes tearing out from the shadows with his lightsaber ignited. As he meets Darth Vader’s lightsaber with his own, you manage to pull yourself back onto the platform as you watch the scene unfold, frozen by this sudden change in Luke, this sudden frenzy that’s come over him seemingly for no reason. This time, Darth Vader’s no match for Luke’s fury as he backs his father out of the low area and across a bridge overlooking a vast lift shaft. He knocks Darth Vader to his knees and as Darth Vader attempts to block another of Luke’s blows, you sense he’s weakening.

 

Snapping back to your senses, you summon your lightsaber back into your hand with the Force and race towards them as Luke repeatedly rains blow after blow down on his father’s lightsaber and then succeeds in slicing Darth Vader’s hand off. You feel a rush of fear as you dart forwards and thrust your lightsaber in front of him, stopping Luke’s final blow. Luke looks up at you, startled, realising what’s just happened and you hear the Emperor laughing in delight.

 

“Good. Your hate has made you powerful.” You both look over at him, lowering your weapons. “Now fulfil your destiny and take your father’s place at my side.”

 

You look down at Darth Vader’s severed arm, seeing only wire protruding from it. It’s prosthetic, like Luke’s, and it’s the same arm too, you notice, as Luke holds up his gloved hand and seems to come to his senses before powering down his lightsaber. You breathe out as you switch off your own and Luke steps back by your side before facing the Emperor.

 

“Never,” he says, tossing his lightsaber to one side. “I’ll never turn to the Dark Side. You’ve failed, Your Highness. We are Jedi, I like my father before me, _(Y/N)_ like her mother before her.”

 

You look over at the Emperor as his glee turns to cold fury, feeling a swell of love for Luke, along with pride, admiration and devotion. “And if you want to stop us from taking down this station and ending this war, you’ll have to kill us.”

 

“So be it, Jedi,” the Emperor sneers.

 

You tense as he walks down the stairs and to your level, raising his arms. You grip your lightsaber, ready to defend your best friend, before the Emperor addresses you both.

 

“If you will not be turned, you will be destroyed,” he hisses, and then sends a stream of blue lightning towards you. You scream as it tears through your body, knocking you to the floor. Luke shouts your name and rushes forwards before throwing himself in the path of the lightning, taking everything you just felt. The Emperor, uncaring, uses both hands to strike you both, one hand for each of you, as Darth Vader walks up beside his Master. “Young fools, only now at the end do you understand,” the Emperor sneers. “Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the Dark Side. You have paid the price for your lack of vision.”

 

“Father, please!” Luke begs amid your screams of pain. “Help us!”

 

The Emperor lets up, only to whisper sadistically. “Now, young Skywalker, young _(Y/L/N),_ you will die.”

 

Luke grabs your hand, which rouses you out of your almost unconscious state because you realise it’s his right hand, the gloved one, the prosthetic one he’s ceased touching you with for so long. Your eyes widen as he presses a kiss to the back of it. _“_

 

"I've got you," he whispers.

 

"You always say that," you whisper, close to smiling in spite of feeling so weak.

 

"It's always true," Luke breathes, urgently, still clasping your hand. _"(Y/N),_ I need to tell you-”

 

You both scream out as the lightning tortures you again, you swear that every muscle, every bone in your body, can feel this terrible pain. It doesn’t matter, you realise, it doesn’t matter that you might never hear what Luke wants to tell you, because you’ve now realised why he’s not been touching you with his right hand, because he’s ashamed of it, and because the one person he didn’t want to turn away from him in any kind of disgust because of it is you.

 

“Father, please!” Luke begs again.

 

Darth Vader keeps looking between the two of you writhing on the ground in agony and the Emperor sadistically taking pleasure in torturing you both slowly to death. You feel your eyes starting to close as you focus on him...and then they fly open as you see him turn and snatch up the Emperor from behind. The Emperor is taken completely by surprise as Darth Vader lifts him up so that his hands are too high for the lightning to touch you. Weakly, you and Luke push yourself into sitting positions to see Darth Vader taking the lightning himself as it ripples through his cloak and off his helmet but it doesn’t deter him as he staggers to the edge of the abyss and hurls the Emperor over the side of the railings. The Emperor screams out as his body falls down, down, down into the seemingly never-ending chasm below. The pain leaves your body as you realise that the Emperor is dead, his torturous lightning isn’t weakening your body anymore. New strength flows into you as you feel Luke squeeze your hand, gently, covering it with both of his.

 

“Are you alright?” he asks, kissing your hand again.

 

“I think so,” you manage to say, and then you notice that Darth Vader is leaning on some canisters by the railings, his breathing heavier and slower, rasping, like your Grandfather’s when he was gasping for air before he died. You both scramble to your feet and rush over to him, Luke catching him and managing to keep him in a kind of sitting position. A second later, you feel the space station rocking, and know that it means the shield deflector’s been deactivated at last.

 

“We need to get out of here,” Luke realises and you nod. Any minute now, your Rebel allies will be firing upon this station. You grab both your lightsabers and help Luke begin to drag Darth Vader from the tower and to the main docking bay. He’s way too weak to walk, even with help, but if you can just get him to the ship, you’re sure you can help him.

 

In the docking bay, it’s chaos as everyone’s rushing in all directions, trying to escape the firing from the Rebel fleet. So caught up in their own escape attempts are they that they don’t notice you and Luke pulling Darth Vader towards the shuttle. Exhausted, you manage to get him into a half-sitting position against the entry ramp.

 

“Luke...help me take this mask off,” Darth Vader says.

 

“But you’ll die,” Luke says, his voice heavy from the strain of the pair of you dragging his father all this way.

 

“Nothing can stop that now,” Darth Vader replies. “Just for once...let me look on you with my own eyes.”

 

Slowly, Luke leans forwards and removes the top part of the helmet, followed by the mask. You’re surprised, because whatever you were expecting underneath, and you’re not entirely sure what that even was, is nothing like the pale, round, old scarred face that peers up at you from within the black uniform. Anakin Skywalker looks so vulnerable...so normal, and you understand suddenly why your mother always saw the good in him, because she knew that deep down he was as human as she was, still, in spite of all the machinery.

 

“Now, go, my son,” he croaks. “Leave me.”

 

“No, you’re coming with us,” Luke insists. “We can’t leave you here. We’ve got to save you.”

 

“You already have, Luke,” Anakin replies, turning his eyes to you. “Your mother...was a wonderful woman. She saw the good in everyone...even me. And your father was a good friend. They didn’t deserve to die.”

 

You reach for his remaining hand and grasp it in both of your own. “I’m not angry at you,” you tell him, truthfully, “and I’ve never hated you for it because they wouldn’t want me to. I forgive you.”

 

Anakin flickers his eyes back to Luke. “You were right about me. Tell your sister...you...were...right...”

 

“Father, I won’t leave you,” Luke says, but Anakin slips away as his eyes close and his body collapses against the ramp. You let go of his hand and rest your head against Luke’s shoulder as he drops his head and his shoulders begin to shake. You wrap him in a hug and just hold him until another explosion close by reminds the pair of you that you’re sitting in the middle of a warzone.

 

Together you drag the lifeless body of Darth Vader into the shuttle and take off, neither of you saying a word, both lost in your own thoughts.


	7. "I Thought You'd Never Ask!"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Luke are determined to help bring down the Empire and end this war once and for all, after rescuing your friend Han Solo from the clutches of the evil Jabba the Hut, but it’s not going to be an easy ride. With the revelation that Darth Vader might possibly be your best friend’s father hanging over both your heads, you need to learn to keep your emotions in check in order to come through your greatest battle yet in one piece, but with danger and temptation at every turn, and Luke beginning to realise his feelings for you might not be just platonic after all, who can say what will happen when you finally face the Emperor?

It’s night by the time you get back to Endor. Wordlessly, using the Force and mutual understanding, the pair of you build up a funeral pyre and manage to lay Anakin’s body on top before Luke strikes up a fire and uses a flaming torch to set the thing alight. You watch with your hands folded in front of you, the traditional Tattooine stance of respect during funerals, and Luke steps back from the flames to stand beside you. Somehow you had both felt it was fitting to replace Anakin’s helmet before burning him, and it’s sort of eerie now, knowing that Darth Vader will never engage with you in a battle for the galaxy ever again.

 

Luke’s standing very close to you but you haven’t really noticed, too busy watching the flames consume his father’s body. Neither do you notice him turn to glance at you, wondering if whether you might just possibly have reciprocated his almost confession to you earlier if he had managed to actually confess it, before deciding to take another chance and reaching for your hand. Your eyes widen but you keep them on the pyre as Luke steps closer to you, lacing his fingers through yours. It’s his right hand again, you realise.

 

“I’ve been a complete idiot,” he states.

 

You manage a giggle. “Luke, I’ve been telling you that for years,” you joke, feebly.

 

Luke chuckles before turning to you and you finally face him, his blue eyes serious and sincere. “No, but seriously, I mean. I’m an idiot for not realising how I felt about you, how I’ve _always_ felt about you, until I thought I was going to lose you.”

 

You feel your heart hammering in your chest, realising the moment you’ve always hoped would happen is finally happening. Luke lifts his hand, brushing your cheek with the backs of his fingers and you glance at it before tugging his glove off and tossing it into the forest. Luke glances at you with a slight frown. “I need that.”

 

You cup his face and yank him down to your level as you kiss him, relaxing when you feel him kiss you back, wrapping his arms around your waist to tug you closer to him. It’s a little sloppy and messy, because it’s the first time either of you have ever actually done this properly before, but it doesn’t matter, because it’s your first kiss together and it’s absolutely perfect. Eventually, you pull back to look into his eyes and whisper “No, you don’t...not with me.”

 

Luke immediately pulls you to him again and kisses you, and this time it’s decidedly better than the first time as you quickly come to learn what you’re meant to do. You hook both arms around his neck as he puts his prosthetic hand at the back of your head, tangling his fingers in your hair, and pulls you closer to him, his other arm firmly around your waist. You had always thought of your best friend as the fighting, flying, adventurer type and not the romantic type at all, and yet here he is right now proving you wrong again. Once again, you part but remain close, within a hair’s breadth away from each other.

 

“I love you, _(Y/N),”_ Luke whispers.

 

You beam up at him before teasing “Goodness, Luke Skywalker, I didn’t know you could be so romantic.”

 

“Shut up,” Luke teases back with a grin, before picking you up so that your legs are wrapped around his waist as he looks into your eyes. “We’re a team...you and me?”

 

“Always,” you smile, leaning in to kiss him again, murmuring against his lips “And just in case you’re wondering, I love you too.”

 

You kiss for what seems like an eternity, and when the fire starts to burn down, Luke sets you back on your feet and you walk the rest of the way to the Ewok camp, hand in hand, feeling more naturally at ease with each other than you’ve ever felt before. Inside, there’s quite a celebration going on, as the Ewoks are all dancing and some playing music, and you have to giggle when you see one using Stormtrooper helmets as drums. C3PO is dancing with one Ewok whilst Leia’s little friend is using one of R2D2’s legs to spring up and down to the music. You smile in relief to see Lando being hugged by Chewbacca and you take that to mean that the Falcon survived alright too if he’s here alive and well.

 

Leia smiles as you both walk in and hugs you tightly. “Told you so,” she whispers in your ear, and you realise she’s noticed you and Luke holding hands. You just smile and hug her back tightly before going over to Han and pulling him into a hug too, dear old Han, who’s never let you down. Leia hugs Luke and it means more this time now they both know the truth about themselves, and then Luke and Han hug, surprising you because you would have thought they’d both be too manly for that, and then you stifle a laugh.

_Luke and Han? Manly? Yeah, right!_

 

Chewbacca comes up and you grin as he pulls you into a very tight, very furry hug. You smile and nod at a grinning Lando over his shoulder. “Good to have you back,” you say before extracting yourself from the Wookiee who goes back to talking to Lando. Glancing up, you notice Luke leaning against the entrance to the hut and looking out at something beyond. You make your way over to him, taking his hand and tucking your free arm through his as you lean against him. Outside, the Force spirits of Obi Wan, Yoda and your mother turn expectantly to the side as a fourth spirit materialises beside them, and you realise it’s Anakin, the way he must have looked before he became Darth Vader. Your mother smiles and slips her arm through his, showing him her forgiveness as he sends her an apologetic look with his eyes before they all turn to smile at you and Luke.

 

A feeling of peace and complete happiness fills you as you return their smiles, realising that they’re proud of you and Luke for finally bringing peace to the galaxy. Then, Leia comes up behind you both and you smile at her before allowing her to lead you back to the celebrations, leaving the past behind and stepping into the present, looking forward to the future.

 

You’re given small, primitive rooms to sleep in, by the Ewoks, but even though you start off sleeping alone in yours, Luke comes into your bed in the middle of the night and pulls you close to him.

 

“Mm, what, did you think I’d get lonely without you?” you tease, snuggling up against him.

 

“No, actually, I thought _I_ might,” Luke replies, and you can hear the smile in his voice as he pulls you closer. You giggle. “You know, I don’t think I want to ever let go of you ever again now.”

 

“I’d be alright with that,” you reply, listening to his heartbeat, it’s so soothing to be so close to him, to be held by him. You remember how much muscle he put on during Yoda’s training and feel yourself blushing with pride. Luke kisses the top of your head as you both fall into a comfortable silence before you dare venture “Do you think Leia and Han’ll get married.”

 

“I hope so,” Luke says, seriously. “He’d better not play around and break her heart.”

 

“He won’t,” you smile. “I can tell. But you can always go after him with your lightsaber if he ever does.”

 

Luke laughs, kissing your hair again. “We could even make it a double wedding.”

 

Your head shoots up as he says that. “Sorry?”

 

Luke moves closer to you, stroking your hair back from your face as he smiles at you. “Marry me, _(Y/N)?”_

 

You grin. “I thought you’d never ask!” you exclaim, flinging your arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.

 

“That’s a “yes,” right?” Luke checks, wrapping his arms around your waist.

 

“Yes!” you laugh, before reaching up to kiss him. Luke hugs you tightly as you both settle yourselves into a comfortable tranquil position and you feel you could die in that moment and die happy, knowing he’s serious about this, he’s serious about you.

 

Although, you don’t appreciate him teasing a second later “So...does that mean you’ll be wearing that bikini again any time soon? Ow!” he adds as you thump him. “Joking!”

 

“Maybe for your birthday,” you smile, teasing him right back.

 

Luke ducks his head and kisses you again, it’s like he can’t get enough of you right now. “I love you,” he whispers, and you tingle at hearing him confess it again.

 

“I love you too,” you whisper back, curling your fingers around his.

 

Wherever you go now, you know it doesn’t matter, because Luke will be right beside you all along. He was right, so was your mother, he’s your family, along with Leia and Han and Chewbacca and Lando and C3PO and R2D2 and everyone else you’ve come to know in the past four years so now you feel like you never have to worry about anything. You’re Jedi, you and Luke, you can start up the training again for younglings who are Force-sensitive, take over from Obi Wan and Yoda and rebuild the Jedi race again. That’s where your future will be, together.

 

_And to think it all started with buying two new droids from Jawas._

 

You fall asleep to Luke stroking your hair, knowing he’ll be there when you wake up, and every morning to come, your Luke who’s always loved you and just needed a nudge to remind himself how much. He’ll never turn to the Dark Side, and neither will you.

 

The Emperor’s gone. Anakin’s back on your side. The Empire’s dead. For the first time in years, the galaxy sleeps in peace, and all thanks to two droids, a Wookiee, two roguish heroes, a rebellious Princess and two young farmers turned Jedi.

 

**The End**


End file.
